Galaxy Fall
by Col.Foley
Summary: They've are the first human spectres, they saved the Citadel, defeated the Collector's and led a Galactic war. But at the turning of the tide, as friends become enemies and enemies friends, they'll lead a revolution. The continuation of On the Run, Picking up the Shards of a Broken Galaxy, and Come Back to Me begins.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Well here we are again at the start of another 'long' ME fic. And I know I have said it before but this will probably be my last. So let's make it a good one eh?

So why am I writing this? Well at the moment I have little more to write, I am in between various other writing projects and want to keep my skills sharp before I start my next novel. Because I believe that is important and it will allow me to hopefully continue refining my writing skills.

Secondly I realized rather humorously that this would be the end of a trilogy of sorts. I have done one main fic with Cameron, another with Abigail, and so I decided why can't I do them both? Because they are both awesome characters and very different people.

Third: While Shards has probably been my favorite fan fiction (Or any writing project period) that I have ever written there was a few things missing. Mainly a lack of certain squad mates that…well I kinda missed writing them even if they did make an appearance.

Fourth: With the revelation of my novels I cannot write a writing project with certain themes that I want to write about given the current state of geo political stuff. So what do you know, there is a fan fic for that.

As always Mass Effect belong to EA/ Bioware, I just really frakin love these games. What can I say?

"_Well," Shepard spoke, "Wars happen, revolutions, plots, and moments of history move around us threatening to tear us apart. Forces that want nothing more to control the universe because they feel it is their birthright, their destiny, that the rights of 'mere mortals' mean nothing, feeling that they have the power of God." _

"_We have seen it, with the Reapers, and Cerberus, they wanted nothing more to control, because they believed they had found the solution to the conflict inherent with life… their solution? To start over, kill all life in order to save it from itself, thus giving people a blank slate, a fresh start… slaughtering trillions in the process. They in their arrogance believed they were the masters of life and death._

"_But we defeated them; we conquered them, their allies, Cerberus, the Illusive Man, and even the Disciples. We stopped them all, crippling them. _

"_And so the Galaxy moved on, continued to heal, to Pick up the Shards, to do what they felt was right to get on with their lives. Though they were less prosperous, had to work harder, they survived, making babies, starting families, and going to the jobs they were best suited for or the ones they were stuck in. _

"_But yet forces would always be waiting, at the fringes, to control this new found freedom, because they believe they have the answer, they believe that they have the new solution to end our suffering, believing they should fill in the void left by legends, and that they have to force us all into it._

"_But in so doing they would destroy the very things they seek to preserve." _

_The Citadel_

Cameron Shepard got into his armor, picking out each piece carefully because he had almost forgotten how to put the stuff on.

_It has been so long since I have had to wear this stuff_ he groused silently. _Wish I never had to get back into it._

"Cameron, why would the Reaper be here? I thought you said you were able to take control of them?" Miranda Lawson asked behind him, reminding him exactly why he had to get back into this armor in the first place.

He thought about it for a second, "I don't know, but it's clearly pissed."

"There has to be some explanation for-"

"Which we can find out after we deal with the thing," He said turning to her.

"You mean you aren't going to?" She asked her eyes widening as it dawned on her what he was about to attempt.

He smiled ruefully moving over to her and holding her by the shoulders. "This thing came out of nowhere, it managed to get by the Citadel Fleet and land on the Citadel…without the _Normandy_ here with Ashley on patrol out in the middle of nowhere I don't have much of a choice. Maybe I can at least buy time."

Miranda nodded slowly biting her lip, "Good luck Commander."

He nodded again before turning around and entering the airlock.

_New Khar'shan-Tent City_

Her legs pumped beneath her as she gave chase, sweat draining off her brow keeping up with her target.

_I'm getting too old for this…why do I even bother I could be in some cushy office in Arcturus but I decided to go chase down a terrorist instead_.

Captain Abigail Shepard frowned mid run as she continued to follow the Batarian she was chasing.

He was wanted by both the Systems Alliance and the Batarian Hegemony for plotting terrorist attack on both Governments in the wake of the war, and the Prime Minister wanted to bring him in personally so they could have a little chat.

_A complete 180 from the previous administration_ she knew.

Though he _was_ a threat, a threat to everything that she had started to build during the end of the war trying to start his own mercenary gang, his own terrorist cell, doing everything in his power to restore the criminal element while she was working on trying to keep civil society safe as it rebuilt. Planning and scheming a million ways to kill them, _yes, he is a threat after all; just one I wish I didn't have to deal with_.

Her thoughts snapped back to reality and the pulsing in her chest as the Batarian in front of her made a sharp left hand turn down a row of tents.

She grunted, and made to follow…but slipped on the ground and fell in a heap splaying herself straight out, her hair was caked with sand and mud, glaring up at her pray.

Taking her legs under her and launched her up to a standing position, tearing back off in pursuit.

It took only about a few seconds before another Batarian ran at her out of a side tent waving a pipe at her.

_Ah crap_, her left arm shot up and covered the man's arm waving the pipe as her other hand struck out at the man's chest, knocking him back into the dirt, dazed.

"Ah man Lola you need to be nice to the civilians we are trying to protect." Vega's voice chuckled in her ear com.

"Yeah, I know we're not supposed to engage but I'm not going to get my head caved in." She breathed into the comm unit hard.

The pause on the other end was very pregnant, "You sure you don't want help?"

"No, stay on them, complete your objective, get the rest of his cell, then you can swing around and get me if I need to."

"Roger that Captain." Vega replied clipped.

She reacquired her own objective looking around, reorienting herself as he was getting away.

She followed him as he jumped down a ledge onto a building, one of the only free standing buildings on the entire planet, she ran along the roof chasing him, breathing hard, as he dropped down.

Tearing off to the right she leapt off the building after the terrorist, and onto the only moving transportation 'train' on the entire planet, the system connecting all the tent cities together.

_The Citadel-External hull_

Cameron Shepard stood in his fully pressurized space suit on the external panels of the Citadel, the Reaper Destroyer standing off to the side, mounted to the Citadel, a Turian Cruiser looking down over the position on over watch.

_Not that they can do anything about it with the Reaper attached to the hull, firing their main weapons could really do a lot of damage to any civilians in the area….no I have to buy time_.

"Commander Shepard, we've got you on our sensors approaching the Reapers, our weapons are hot if you need the cover, we got the Reapers dead to rights." A Turian voice spoke in his ear.

He smirked behind his face mask. "I'm retried remember, you don't have to call me that."

"Understood Commander."

He smirked to himself, and began the long march to the Reaper.

It took him about twenty minutes; the Reaper just sat there, not doing anything at all. _As if it's watching me, waiting for me_. He was unsure of how close he should stand to the behemoth. This was the first time he had been near a Destroyer since Rannoch, and he was unsure of what it wanted. _Does it want to vaporize me or does it want to talk? Why didn't it accept the shutdown command_?

He glanced up at it wearily, the ship was now towering over his head, and its eye piece was out and looked to be swiveling in his direction.

"_Shepard," _It boomed, _"You stand before me, in testament to the end of the cycle, the end of my kind." _

He glanced up at it wearily, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up for some reason.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you obey the shutdown command?" He asked.

"_You slaughtered us, millions of us, the entire species. You bought an end to the cycle, your end. The Catalyst trusted you to be a new template, that you had defeated us time and again so maybe it was time for a new solution in the old one. Instead you used us and betrayed us to the Galactic wind; I was able to resist the impulse." _

His neck got pricklier still, but he ignored it. "Are there any more of you?"

"_I am the last." _

Cameron breathed a sigh of relief but yet his neck would not return to its previous state.

"_But here you stand, alone, trying to stop me. You will fail." _

"Fail at what?" Cameron asked breathless.

His comlink crackled to life in his ear. "Cameron, he is trying to access the Citadel relay." Miranda spoke finally.

_What?_ "What?" He asked the air.

"It looks like he is trying to activate the Citadel engines for something, could he be bringing more Reapers through? Something from Darkspace?"

"I doubt it," Cameron whispered quietly his mind racing at the list of possibilities, his eyes getting wider, "Oh my."

"Cam?" Miranda asked.

"_If our mandate to preserve all life has ended and the Galaxy will race into building more synthetics that will rebel and wipe them out, then this is the only solution." _

His mouth hung open, his mind continued to race leaping ahead of what the Reaper was saying and how to confirm it. "Miri, check the Citadel relay." He ordered.

After a minute, "Cameron…its building up an energy field though nothing is coming through. Wait…he isn't?"

"Detonate the relay network? Yeah I think he would feel that would be his only solution." Cameron confirmed.

The Reaper began to rumble above him, the weapon eye began to glow building up its own power, the particles racing and gathering quickly in the firing chamber. Cameron began to back up. The rumbling continued and got louder, it was oddly rhythmic, derisive.

_Is it laughing at me?_

The Reaper fired, the red blast of energy striking the Citadel hull less than five hundred meters from him. It began to arch over to him as the Citadel walls began to glow blue.

His surroundings crackled around him with a vibrant blue.

It raced towards him, he saw the Turian Cruiser open up with its main battery, and that was the last thing he saw as the wave hit him.

_New Khar'shan- Transportation hub_

Abigail Shepard raced along the top of the speeding car she was on, trying to walk at a stiff place but not lose her balance and topple over the side. The Batarian was in front of her, making only a slightly better time of it then she was.

A bridge almost swung across her and decapitated her causing her to flay out ducking below the thing. Glancing up she saw that the Batarian survived, and was looking back at her to see if she was alive.

She grunted getting her feet under her and a second wind going, she nearly leapt at the target, bringing her hand up to chop it across him.

He caught it and back handed her, she kicked out stepping on his foot and breaking his hand hold and launched herself at his chest. He absorbed it and countered by pushing back, nearly launching her off the edge.

She grabbed on with her hand and grunted, "Ow." She said.

The Batarian quickly reversed course and headed back down the train, more gingery then before, but still fast enough to make pursuit next to impossible.

_Son of a Thresher Maw, he's not coming to finish me off._ She growled.

"Lola?" James's voice broke in at her, she thought she could hear gunfire on the line.

"I'm fine James." She grunted again, still hanging over the side.

"OK…we're nearly secure over here and will be able to swing by to help if you need it."

"Thanks James." She cut the line with a thought and then scramed in frustrating, pushing herself up on the hurling train with one hand.

Dusting herself off she looked down the train, at the unsuspecting Batarian, he had to know he was still under threat but he had no idea she was still part of the equation.

She picked up her pace as it was before, if she was going to die here by toppling off the top of a train at least it would be for a good cause. Still she managed to pick her footing expertly, intuitively, being driven by a mandate. Then she noticed the train was slowly beginning to stop.

The Batarian picked up his pace, stopped, then launched himself over the side as the train pulled up on the terminal.

Abigail tensed, began to run along the train without it being fully stopped, scrunched up her legs and launched herself over the side of the train. Landing she absorbed the impact by rolling with the fall, grunting.

Which drew the attention of the crowd, _and the Batarian she was supposed to be following_.

He spun around and watched her, he scowled, then took off the way he was running darting through the crowd of unlookers. Abigail grinned ferally and tore off in pursuit, the Batarian onlookers also making their best way possible to get out of her way.

"Lola, we've secured our target and are making our way back to you." James Vega spoke in her ear.

"Roger that," She grunted not missing a beat.

But the sky flashed above her, causing her to look up as she ran, the sky was bathed in an odd bluish black, swirling and rushing together. The flash tore as if a peel of lightning arched through the air, leaving an object in its place, falling out of the sky.

_Not an object…a man_.

He fell quickly through the air, completely tossed about; his path looked like it was going to…_oof!_ He fell onto her pinning her body beneath his, his left arm wrapped around hers and his head coming up to her neck, she gasped and gurgled from being choked.

Shepard craned her neck looking up along his body trying to see who her new assailant was. He was dressed in red and blue N7 armor complete with the breather helmet. His chest was rising and falling lightly, and she thought he heard him groan.

His body perfectly contoured to her own, or would have if they were lying directly on top of her, the same height, same build…_well if I were a man_. The rest of his features were hidden from her but it was…_eerie_.

Remembering the Batarian Terrorist suddenly she pushed the soldier off of her and twisted around.

"Uh," He grunted behind her.

Not bothering to check on him she took off after the Terrorist in question, moving to catch up with him since he was rapidly fading into the distance.

"Damn it." She swore, "James, get your butt over here and head him off!"

She didn't get a response, and she didn't need one, the Batarian glanced over his shoulder and smirked at her, figuring he was about to get away.

The Kodiak roared above him cresting the horizon and raced to cut him off, he looked at the thing and stopped dead in his tracks. Abby hurried to do her job to make sure he did not double back, closing the distance rapidly, giving it one final effort.

The hatch of the Kodiak popped open revealing James and his team of Special Forces standing behind him. And the Batarian probably noticed, as soon as Abby did, the deliberate placement of one of the fellow terrorists over in the corner, his hands bound and his mouth gagged.

Shepard was sneaking up behind him, drawing her Eagle and deploying it in her hand out of the holster. Finally the Batarian glanced back at her and smirked at her with a face full of spikey teeth.

"It seems you have me surrounded." He announced.

"So it would seem." Abby replied coming up to him, feeling suddenly haggard, and wondering how much of a mess her hair was currently.

"Well played, I see the human Alliance is being as meddlesome as ever."

"You have been threatening our outer colonies and legitimate supply interests in this region." Shepard replied, her hand tightening around the trigger. "Now surrender."

He laughed, "Your aid is an affront to our once proud people. The fact that they sent the butcher of Aratoht here to enforce their will is an even further affront." He took a step closer.

"I will shoot you if I have to…and you still holding a grudge?"

"Any true Batarian will always know you, always remember, and then swear vengeance against you and the rest of your arrogant species." He spit, hitting her boot.

She gestured with the Eagle.

"I…surrender." The Batarian said, glancing back and getting on his knees, interlocking his fingers behind him.

Abigail glanced at James and gave him a head signal, his team jumped off the hovering Kodiak and began to move up to him, James approached with cuffs out, Abby and the rest of the team covered the terrorist.

They put the cuffs on, dragged the Batarian to his feet, and dragged him off to the shuttle.

_Well another successful mission…but_…

She glanced back the way she came at the fallen human…that came out of the sky. And since humanity might not have been the most popular species at the moment…she started to march to go pick him up.

**AN: **In case you haven't figured it out that was Abigail Shepard doing her thing in the beginning.


	2. Musing on the New Comer

_New Khar'Shan-Capitol Complex_

_Typical, the first building to be rebuilt in the wake of the colonization efforts is the Government complex…while the people they supposedly represent are living in tents and bitter poverty, barely without even the most basic amenities._ Abigail Shepard frowned around the room she was now a part of, standing overlooking a group of politicians running around, standing next to a railing in a balcony.

Still this was a historic moment, the Batarians getting together to form a new Government for the first time in centuries.

_But the question is what form will it take?_ And the answer belonged to those politicians down there bickering and running about like spoiled kids, much like herself in her own youth. The starry eyed radicals who wanted to do away with tradition and history to chart a new path now that the old order was so definitively torn down, the Hegemonic traditionalists who were stuck in their ways, afraid of change, afraid that they would lose their own positions and power, so they would take their own path and try and rebuild what they had. Slamming down and clutching down on anyone who would oppose them.

_To the others?_ Abby shifted uncomfortably. _Now there is the million credit question?_ They were the unknown, the wild cards, the dangerous Varren in the room whom no one knew which way they'd jump. They were radicals in their own way, but for very different reasons. Angry at the universe, feeling it had abandoned them, and they were effectively a dead species, even though there were over five hundred thousand Batarians left, and they in their anger and fear would strike out at the universe and try and take it down with them.

Their leader was the terrorist that she had taken down, but she could only imagine there were others who were willing to take his place.

_Such is the life and role of a Commander in Special Forces_.

"You look like you have the weight of the Galaxy riding on your shoulders…again." A familiar voice graveled out behind her.

She turned around to see Garrus Vakarian standing there looking at her.

"Garrus!" She yipped happily. "Wait…what are you doing here?"

"Oh you know…the Turian Government wants to keep an eye on the situation given that…you know it's the Batarians…and I was volunteered for the position because of my extensive experience with them. And I figured it gave me a chance to see my favorite human."

She grinned, "We keep on running into each other."

"Well considering how the universe likes to attract certain things to each other it's no wonder." Garrus said uncomfortably.

"You saying we are opposites Vakarian?" She teased.

"Oh no…I…well… seriously what is bothering you Abigail?" Garrus asked.

"'Bothering me' might be the wrong term for it."

"Well?" Garrus pressed.

She turned back to the balcony frowning, she felt Garrus approach her side and look down with her, studying the movement of people racing around down there.

"This." She said waving her arms around.

"What about it?" Garrus asked.

"The Batarians are either about to make a terrible mistake or the best decision in the history of their Government and society. Either for good or for ill." Abigail continued.

"And you wonder what decision they will make? Is that really our responsibility?"

"No Garrus, it is not, but if they make the wrong choice and try and take it out on the rest of the Galaxy then it will become my responsibility or the militaries in general, to try and stop them."

"Well it seems like the Democracy movement is gaining steam and that the Batarians will try and extend the popular vote."

Abigail snorted automatically.

"You don't approve of Democracy?" Garrus said somewhat surprised, "given humanity's reputation I would have thought you would be all for the Batarians extending a popular vote."

She bit her lip thinking, "Democracies only work as long as fifty one percent of the people remain virtuous and make the right decision, and since even the best of us will make the wrong decision more often than not…even for the right reasons…it makes the process even more tenuous. No, Democracy, like all systems of pure Government needs their own place and their own way to check the natural impulses and flaws inherent in the Government."

"Interesting." Garrus grunted.

"Besides, I have always admired the Turian system…at least in principle."

Now it was Garrus's turn to snort, "Ah yes, a 'meritocracy', just who decides what it means to have merit? Who decides the rules? What are the rules? Are you going to be a good Turian by being successful or by following a bunch of simple rules and regulations on some checklist?"

"I did get the feeling when I was on Palaven that is how it worked, given some of the people's opinion on Victus…and yourself."

Garrus's mandibles twitched, "Well that just proves that maybe you can beat the system. After all Victus was a habitual rule breaker and did things beyond the book. And me? I haven't exactly done things by the book myself. In fact I have done things about as opposite from the book as a Turian can get and pissed a lot of people off in the process. Yet look at me now? One of the top five most important generals in the hierarchy. Granted we have not exactly made friends among the Hierarchy's power elite, but we are being more flexible, and we are finding out how to get things done."

Abby nodded, but her smile quickly dissolved into a scowl, considering the other sequence of puzzling events which were going on in her life.

"You still look like something else is bothering you." Garrus pointed out off of her look.

She glanced at him and sighed.

"I met someone." She announced.

Garrus's eyes widened sarcastically, "Does James know?"

"Garrus!" She admonished but couldn't quite keep the smirk from gracing her face.

He chuckled.

She scratched the back of the neck cocking her head to the side. "I actually met him a couple of hours ago, a human, while I was trying to track down the terrorist I was here to capture…"

"A human? On New Khar'shan?" Garrus asked frowning, "I can see where this might be disturbing."

"Oh it gets better." She blew her breath out. "He was unconscious…hell he fell out of the middle of sky on top of me…" She noticed Garrus smirk… "Dressed in N7 armor…so we checked his Omni-tool. It revealed him as an Alliance Officer, former Alliance Officer…Cameron Shepard, Commander, N7 ranking."

"Cameron Shepard?" Garrus asked rolling the word around. "Well that sounds…familiar."

She nodded, "Yeah…and we checked with the Alliance database on the subject. There is no Cameron Shepard in the Alliance Military, none with the rank of Commander or retired Commander, and none in the N7s certainly. Hell at this time I probably know every single N7 we have because of my position and the time I have taken getting to know them."

"So…where did he come from?" Garrus concluded.

Abby nodded decisively. "Exactly."

"And what are you going to be doing about it?" Garrus asked curiously.

"I don't know," She sighed, "I suppose I should go talk to him. But I don't know what I am going to be running into. This could just be someone messing with my head."

"But?"

"Well it does not make sense given how he…'appeared'. Just 'flash… boom.' And he was there."

"Seems unlikely that someone would go to that much trouble just to mess with you." Garrus concluded agreeing with her own assessment.

"Yeah," Abby nodded slowly, "It could be…"

"Could be what?" Garrus's mandibles twitched.

"We'll see." She answered.

"Well the only way for us to be sure is for us to gain knowledge; the only way to gain knowledge is to take it head on. You cannot do that without talking to the guy or running…medical tests." He smirked at the last.

She snorted, "Ah yes, 'tests', Where is Doctor Frankenstein when you need him?"

"Not sure I get that one." Garrus frowned.

"Never mind." Abby replied.

She gave one more look at the various diplomats and support personal that were running around the tables, of the politicians trying to get a handle on their situation, trying to come up with the best Government for the future of their people.

_In a way I envy them_, she decided, _nothing I can do in my situation, form a new Government, and have a hand in molding a nation, no my role is a lot more…physical_.

"Well, I guess I should get to it." Abigail Shepard decided thumping the railing, "Thanks for the advice Garrus Vakarian."

"No problem Shepard."

And with that she left the room, heading for the make shift 'space port'.

_SSV Normandy- Starboard Cargo_

Cameron Shepard stood in familiar surroundings, he knew where he was, knew what this room was used for, and understood he was on the _Normandy_ or a vessel of similar construction.

But the question he was asking himself was, _how did I get here?_ And the answer, _I don't know_, made him glare around the room in wide eyed wonder as if this were the first time he had been in here, the first time he had any experience with a room such as this.

Just…._hours…days?_...before he was on the Citadel facing down a Reaper who was threatening to destroy it and all he held dear, threatening to pass a final judgment on the Galaxy for its 'failure'. There he was, watching a blue energy field flying at him, only to hurtle through the air, and then crash on a planet. Then he was here.

_So is this the Normandy?_ He wondered.

In his analysis of the question he glanced along the far wall, and saw the two guards watching him. One black, one white, one armed with Avenger Assault Rifle, the other armed with a Revenant.

_Whoever it is who is running this operation is treating me very carefully_. He grunted to himself.

_I can probably take them, just without the armor…_ It was a fifty fifty chance.

He was broken out of his reverie when the door to the cargo bay opened; he glanced over at it curiously, and saw two people come into the room.

They were led by a woman…_she looks familiar…but from where?_ Cameron thought staring at her. She had just barely military length hair that curled around her neck and hung just around her forehead in a nice, neat, professional clump. She was about as tall as he was, and was wearing the standard 'battle dress', Alliance uniform with the shoulder length sleeves.

Dark blue eyes peered out at him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. Her build was quite athletic. Her face was just short of what Cameron would consider to be _beautiful_ but it held a certain attractive quality. Her lips were decorated in a very slight film of gloss, but Cameron suspected that was just for show more then she actually wore it to be considered more beautiful, as if it were just a chore, camouflage she tried to use to make people more comfortable around her.

Her posture definitely screamed _military_ to Cameron, but not just military, but _Special Forces_, she had an undeniable energy about her that whether or not she was a biotic or a regular soldier she could leap into action in seconds if a threat crossed he path.

He finally tore his eyes away from her and glanced over at the person who was following in her wake, and Cameron instantly recognized his former subordinate.

"James!" He blurted relieved, but felt a wince make his eye twitch as if that did not sound right in of itself.

…

Abigail Shepard turned and looked at 'James' curiously.

The Lieutenant Commander shrugged subtly, _what gives_, the gesture told her. She shook her head and cocked an eyebrow back at her husband before turning to regard 'Cameron'.

"And just who are you to have such an intimate knowledge of my crew?" She asked.

The man opened his mouth to respond, and then quickly closed it, the wheels turning in his head as to what he was going to say.

_Kinda rough around the edges looking_, Abigail decided. He had a short crop, though a bit longer than what she was expecting, of black hair, piercing light blue eyes, and a generally blunt face. Probably not considered much of a ladies man, but then she wouldn't know.

He was, on second glance, taller than she was and heavier built, but still athletic and still…_familiar_. Even though she knew she couldn't have known him, had never seen him before in her life, she still _felt_ as though she did. It was most…_disturbing_…she decided.

Finally he moved to finish the thought, "Cameron Shepard, former Commander in the Systems Alliance…and you are?"

She gulped subconsciously forming her response delicately, "Captain Abigail Shepard, currently assigned to command the Systems Alliance Special Operations Command."

"Abigail." He replied bluntly rolling the words around, sizing them up, and sizing up what she said. "Shepard." He finished bluntly.

She smiled, "You act like you've seen a ghost."

"Well," he sighed looking upwards, "If there was an Abigail Shepard, especially one who was so…cute…" She felt James stiffen at her side… "In the Special Forces Command, Captain or otherwise, I am sure the fellow N7s and other soldiers would take every opportunity to remind me of the fact and try and get us together, probably saying, 'oh look at them brother and sister Operators.'"

Her smile widened ever so slightly, but her eyes narrowed predatorily, "And there is no record of a Cameron Shepard ever serving in the Systems Alliance, let alone in the Special Forces."

"Well that leaves only one possible option." Cameron stated.

"Oh?" The N7 smirked stretching, "I would think there would be more than one. You could be a clone or a Reaper doomsday device they just forgot to activate before the war ended."

She saw Cameron smirk back amused, "Well I wasn't talking about that. Merely, I could be from a parallel universe."

"Parallel Universe?" Abigail asked playing dumb.

"You know, science fiction stuff."

"Oh right," Abby replied as if it had suddenly dawned on her.

…

Cameron took in the pregnant silent, knowing that somehow she wasn't convinced, his 'opposite number' if he was correct.

"Still does not preclude the possibility something might be going on, that you might not be entirely honest in who and what you say you are. I cannot just force you on my crew or the Galaxy if you are a threat, and I cannot know if you are a threat or not unless I am convinced one way or the other."

Cameron felt his eyes widen and dart around in his head picking it apart.

"Alright this is the _Normandy_ right?" Cameron asked.

Abigail nodded.

"How is Ashley doing? I take it if you are off doing the Special Forces then that means she is in command right?"

"Yes, but that does not prove anything that is relatively public information." The Captain pointed out.

"What about James here? How do I know him?!" Cameron gestured at the Lieutenant standing in the corner.

"Hey buddy, we don't know each other."

Abby jabbed her thumb behind her.

Cameron gaped, his mind racing, trying to come up with a solution to his predicament, Abigail Shepard was beginning to look impatient.

"What about Javik?" Cameron asked.

"Javik?" Abigail asked blankly.

"Yeah, the Prothean who was here…we discovered him on Eden Prime, buried since the last war, the last survivor of his species."

"What about him?"

Cameron smiled, _I have her_, "I didn't really want him on the crew, he seemed off, but he was a Prothean, an asset, and I really could have used him in the end. The Crucible probably could have used him."

He saw Abigail smile, then nod, "Well, let me consider what you have told me, and then I will get back to you with my decision."

Cameron nodded, "All I can ask."

…

Abigail left the room and walked down the corridor to the engine room, with Vega in tow, she looked around the office and saw Engineers Adams, Pressly, and Commander Ashley Williams standing along the wall, leaning against the monitor. The monitor showed a picture of the Starboard Cargo Baby and their de facto prisoner.

"Thoughts?" Abigail asked.

"You buy what he had to say about Javik?" James asked suspiciously.

"I don't see why not," Abby bit her lip, "That is not exactly public information. We wanted to keep it secret from the general public and even many members of the Special Forces and Government communities. Not even the Council was briefed on his existence. Only the _Normandy_ crew, Udina, Hackett, knew of him …plus anyone he chose to blab it to."

"Like the Citadel crowd?" Ashley smirked.

"Yeah, but they never had a name _Javik_, nor did they have any personal details about where we found him or the details of…well he was a bit of a pain in the ass."

Ashley and James chuckled.

"And for that matter," Abby continued plowing over the noise, "I have heard no real extranet reports of conspiracy theories, or solid stories about his existence, other than the 'Alliance was working on a Prothean clone to scare the bejeebus out of the Reapers'…and yes he used the word… 'and control the Galaxy', from that one nut who exposed the information on the Leviathans."

"So…at least we know he is accurate." James remarked snorting.

"Sometimes," Abby conceded.

"So…are we assuming he is genuine?" James asked, stating the question that no one had a good answer to.

"For the moment, I don't see the harm in giving him some leeway, but we should keep an eye on him, just in case." Abigail ordered with cocked eyebrows.

"Yes ma'am." James nodded.

Ashley nodded in turn.

"Dismissed." The Captain ordered leaving the room and heading for her new office.


	3. Chapter 3

_Normandy-Shuttle Bay_

Gunnery Chief Paul Leighy stood behind his station in the Armory going over the inventory…for the fifteenth time today…shooting was beginning to get boring and with the rest of the crew busy doing their mission objectives, he was stuck being a sixth wheel.

But the good news was it left him a lot of time to get to _know_ Cynthia.

"Whoa man," He heard James's voice speak behind him.

He turned to face the Special Forces Lieutenant Commander who was busy standing there with his arms crossed across the chest.

"Whoa!" He repeated.

"What?" Paul asked with a mixture of annoyance and pleasure at seeing his recent friend.

James gestured vaguely at his face, "It's been a while… and you have grown a beard."

Paul scratched at his hair follicles self-consciously. "Yes, and…you have one…Joker has one."

"Nah it suits you man." James chuckled.

"So, been a while since you have been back?"

"Yeah," James agreed, "been busy fighting terrorists. So…where is Cynthia?"

"Would've thought you would've heard." Paul asked, surprised.

"No, I haven't."

"She went to one of the Alliance training bases, decided to at least get certified and have an official rank."

"Whose idea was that?" James's eyebrows arched up just south of his hairline, such as it was.

"Hers." Paul shrugged, "She felt like a fish out of water in the ship without being able to do a lot of things, even though she helped us take down the Disciples she was a bit of an outsider. And she wants to settle down."

"Wow," James grunted, "She wants to make a home?"

"So it would seem." Paul nodded slowly, "besides with her combat experience and technical expertise should everything go well she should come out with a rank of Lieutenant."

"Gonna have to call your girlfriend 'sir'?" James grinned.

"Something like that," Paul acknowledged.

_Shepard's office_

Abigail, given that Ashley had not chosen an official second in command at this point, had moved into Miranda's…and then Liara's…office on Deck three.

She had removed the entire array of Shadow Broker equipment and replaced it with a double sided bed, and a large screen in place of the 'Galaxy Map' which showed her…anything she wanted, in any way she wanted…with a flick of her hand.

Right now she was going over the intelligence brief her aide had provided her for her upcoming full briefing on the situation across.

_I heard you liked briefings_…the thought rattled around in her head as she glanced at the spark notes of what she was going to be told by the aide and Miranda Lawson.

_In short, nothing much…but something_.

The data before her was _contradictory_, there wasn't a lot going on, finally in the wake of the Disciple incident the Galaxy was pretty quiet. Just there were hints, if you looked deep enough into the data, _something_ was brewing.

Batarian terrorists were on the war march, and while they were running missions and raids off and on since the end of the war, they now appeared more coherent, more centralized. As if some authority was running and orchestrating them, and while the Batarian terrorist she brought down was probably the leader of the movement the reports seemed concerned with, it seemed foolish to believe he was the only one.

_Could some other force be behind this?_ She wondered.

_Only one way to find out_, she decided.

And with the decision she left her new office, went into the lift, and rode the elevator one floor to the Command Deck. It stopped; she got off, and walked around to the technical laboratory entrance, with the security scanner...and was confronted face to face with Ashley Williams.

"Commander Shepard." The gate guard said.

"Uh…its Captain now."

"Right…sorry." Private Campbell said.

"Ash?" Abby asked turning to the newly minted Commander and nodding at her.

"Shepard." Ashley said stiffly.

Abigail stepped into the scanner and let the ray beams rack over her body scanning her for any traps, and to confirm her identity.

_I still wonder what would happen if I ever got stuck in here_. She thought. The security scanner utilized a Mass Effect field to hold her in place as it made sure she wasn't a threat.

Finally, after about a minute, the process completed and she was able to step out of it and continue on her approach to Ashley. The door to the tech labs, war room, and briefing room whirred open at her presence.

"So, Commander, it's been a while and we haven't had a lot of time to talk since I got back on board the _Normandy_."

"Well we've both been busy, you with your mission, and me with my command." Ashley replied cooly.

_OK. _Abigail thought stepping into the room; her former XO stepped in beside her to follow her. But she seemed stiff, rigid, and aloof.

_Should I? Oh for crying out…_

"Look Williams, if you got something to say just say it." She stopped pausing to turn around to stare at her XO.

Ashley turned to face her defiantly, trying to stare Abigail down for a few seconds, but quickly blew her breath out and glanced away.

"Look, I just…fell like momma bear has come to keep an eye on the cub when the cub is trying to get a handle on something."

"Oh!" Abby's eyes widened and she smiled shortly. "Is that all?"

Ashley sighed and glanced down guiltily, "Sounds somewhat ridiculous now doesn't it?"

"Not at all," Abby assured.

"I guess I feel like I finally have a command of my own, have the respect I have worked towards for years, and then you come back here to check in on my work. It has to do with my grandfather probably."

"Which is why it isn't ridiculous…a little _silly_ maybe." Abby teased.

Ashley smirked and rolled her eyes.

"I'm just here for the mission Ash, and you know you are in command of one of only two stealth frigates probably in the entire Galaxy…well maybe three."

"But that should mean I should have the autonomy that comes with the position to instigate raids and conduct Special Operations."

"Fair enough," Abby agreed, "but I am the Commander of Special Operations and I want to get out of the house now and then, take a personal interest in what is going on in the Galaxy."

Ash sighed.

"Look, you don't have to justify yourself to me or anyone else. The _Normandy_ is yours, she is your command, I am just a guest here…a guest with rank I grant you…but you conduct the operations on the ship. You have the Captain's Cabin, you give orders to Joker and the crew, and they follow the orders. I cannot override you unless you relinquish Command to me or you get injured…since you do not have a clear line of command."

"I guess." Ash nodded.

"And besides, that pirate group?" Abby continued, "That was all you, you tracked them down, you answered the distress calls, and you executed the mission, and you took them down. Again all you…I wasn't there."

Ashley nodded, "Fine, I guess you are right. But we really should get to the briefing."

"Yes, we should." Abby nodded leading the way.

The door opened into the familiar pit-with-consoles that represented the war room. Miranda and her personal aide were already waiting for her, Miranda looked up from her flexy to stare at the Captain, and the aide looked blatantly bored by her delay.

"So just what state does the universe find itself in?" She asked smirking all the way down the stairs to join them.

Miranda smiled in turn, and the aide frowned.

"It looks pretty quiet, though there was a burst of com activity from several of the mercenary groups just after you and your team captured the terrorist down there and took down his gang. Most of it just basic housekeeping and 'look at what Shepard has done now!' but a few of it would seem to indicate that they were actually a part of his plan and needs to re tool their expectations."

"Meaning?" Shepard asked.

"We can't decipher it all and are only getting a small piece of what looks to be a very large puzzle; we just don't have the communications stations throughout the Terminus to intercept all the information that is out there." The Aide continued.

"Anything else to report on the situation?" Abby pressed.

"Intel would suggest that his next plan he was working on before being captured was to detonate a five kiloton pocket nuke in the Government Meetings currently going on, taking out the Batarians, some of the surrounding city, and then he would seize power using planted evidence that it was a human terrorist group as his ace."

"Wow," Abby grunted, "Anything else?"

The aide hesitated biting his lip looking at his briefing notes, "I…uh…no Captain, nothing else to report."

Abby saw Miranda look up at him out of the corner of the eye arching an eyebrow, but she hid the motion and went back to look at her own notes.

"And what is going on with your own sources in the Galaxy Miranda?" Shepard asked turning to look at Miranda.

"Well…given that my organization is still practically brand new, and given that people still mistrust me for being a part of Cerberus in days past…and given that I am spending a lot of my time helping Commander Williams out on the _Normandy_…nothing much…yet."

Abigail folded her arms across her chest, "I thought this was supposed to be our first official intelligence meeting? You telling me you have nothing?"

Miranda smiled certainly, "Just nothing solid Shepard…relax."

"Well then, continue." Shepard gestures and refolded her arms.

"And…since I have been having to piggy back off of Alliance feeds for most of my information…there has been a series of odd signals being detected being beamed into Alliance territory from the Terminus Systems."

"Do we have a location?"

"What kind of signals?"

Ashley and Shepard asked almost simultaneously.

Miranda frowned at the pair, "To the first we cannot seem to triangulate, it seems to be happening from everywhere at once and is non-localized. Alliance Intelligence is supposedly running down the possibilities. To the second, we don't know that either…"

Abby frowned frustrated.

"But it seems…organic in nature. Unique…not as though it is being generated by an Artificial Construct. Which is…odd."

"Must be giving off a lot of power to be able to do what you say it's doing." The Aide pointed out.

"Yet, it's doing it." Miranda countered snidely.

"Anything else?" Abby inquired.

"Well there are reports of riots throughout Earth, people demanding more benefits and more regulation and clarification since the Reaper War. Similar incidents are happening on Thessia and Sur'kesh, this is leading the Prime Minister to advocate for an increase in emergency powers so he can act to end the crisis…and…this you might find interesting." Miranda said smirking.

"What is it?" Abigail said stiffly.

"Ranaak Kurl, former leader of the Krogan New Dawn Movement, has moved onto, and taken control of Omega."

"What?" Abigail shot unfolding her arms and leaning against the War Room table.

"It would seem after his little war with you he moved on, after several months, traveled the Galaxy, and as with most people he ended up on Omega. Arrived only a few weeks after your last mission apparently."

"What has he been doing there?" The Captain asked lowly, threateningly, sizing up the situation.

"Well, he has assumed Command of the station in Aria's place apparently. With the gang war occurring when he got there he established his own gang, quickly uniting several of the factions' vying for control and killing anyone who opposed him. Under that arrangement he quickly united the gangs under his banner and has…assumed Command."

"For what purpose?" Abby challenged, hoping another volatile situation just didn't develop while she wasn't looking.

"He isn't making too many overt signs of action, he seems to be doing pretty much what Aria did during her sojourn there, sitting on his throne, and letting the people run amok. Though according to some reports through the Broker network he has laid the ground work for increasing and rebuilding Omega's trade through the Terminus Systems and reestablishing it as a hub."

"Wonderful."

"I do not think he will be threatening us, at least any time soon." Miranda assured.

Abby thought about it for a second, cocking her head, "I agree, but still…keep an eye on things."

"Yes ma'am."

"Really though, are we going to trust a private organization to help us run security?" The aide sneered.

Abby cut in before Miranda could verbally cut the guy's head off, "She provided more valuable intelligence then you did at this briefing."

"I wonder how she could do that." The Aide said sarcastically glancing at Miranda.

"That is enough." Abby snapped, "Both of you, Miranda happens to be someone I trust deeply and considering the state of the Galaxy we need allies, not to antagonize people."

The Aide shrugged, Miranda glared after him wearily.

"Dismissed." Abigail reported, and the meeting broke up.

_Port Observation Room_

_I guess this is the best they can do on such short notice._ Cameron thought staring around the room…which was a direct clone of his _Normandy's_ observation room. It looked out at the stars, the same sealed off Poker room/ Poker table, the jukebox over in one corner, and the bar with liquor cabinet.

_This is very…eerie._ He decided, _wonder where I am going to set up my cot_.

"You know the Starboard Observation room might be better…isn't as cluttered."

He turned around to see Abigail Shepard standing there in her N7 hoodie…another perfect clone of the one from his universe he would normally wear.

"I wouldn't have thought you would wear that, you don't seem like the type." He explained nodding at the article of clothing.

"Well, technically I am off duty, and I don't want to wear the Battle Dress around _at all times_, now do I?"

Cameron smiled, "That would seem to be…most uncomfortable."

"So…how are you…settling in?" Abigail told him.

_Nice save_. But he knew what she was asking him, and he paused to consider his response…to both questions.

"I don't know…it is difficult to settle in when you don't feel right being here. This is not my universe, this is the universe of someone else, yours I guess. You are in command here, you are me here. I am an imposter, and to make matters worse there is no Cameron Shepard, no officer in the Alliance Military, no service in the N7s, I don't exist."

"A fresh start…" Abby said uncertainly.

Cameron snorted, "I had a start in my old life. I had a life there. One I want to get back to."

"But until then?"

"Until then," Cameron conceded with a slight head nod, "I will try and settle in, see the sights, get to know you."

Abby shifted around in her place kicking at the floor. "Well…I would put you to work here, until we can find a solution to the problem and try and get you back, but as you pointed out you do not have a service record, no combat scores, nothing to base your placement on the team on. And I don't even know if you want to serve."

He felt himself shrug, "Well now that I am away from Miranda why not?"

He saw Abby's body tense up. "Miranda? What about her? This is Miranda Lawson we are talking about right?"

Cameron nodded, "And she and I had a relationship in my universe, we were pretty close, due to be married."

Abigail blanched but recovered, "We have a Miranda here on the ship…Lawson…she has served on my squad."

Cameron's eyes widened as he felt the shock rattle through his center and then settle in the base of his stomach, threatening to drag it down to his feet.

"What? Just how many of our crew is similar?" Cameron asked finally.

The Captain, his superior, cocked her head to the side, rolling her eye up, "Well I don't know…you do know James though…I imagine a lot of them." She turned to face him. "No way to be sure."

He thought about it, wondering what else he could say given the situation. But he was interrupted by a _meow…purr_.

Looking down he saw a cheetah looking cat glancing up at him curiously, he was surprised at its existence, wondering how he could've gotten on the _Normandy_.

"Why hello there," He said kindly scooping it up and cradling it in his arms, "And whose cat are you?"

"Oh he's mine." Abby said, smiling.

Cameron glanced at her over the cat, "You have a cat?"

"He was a wedding gift." Abigail said.

"You're married?"

"Yes, to James."

"You are married to James?!"

Abigail frowned and knitted her brows together angrily, "Hey at least I am not attracted to Miranda."

"Uh huh." Cameron nodded turning back to the cat, "So what's your name huh?"

"Cameron, I thought it was a good name for a pu…"

Cameron's eyes shot up at her knowing exactly where that sentence was going, he did not know whether to blush, laugh, or attack her for the insult to his honor. But seeing the blush gracing her cheeks was enough to disarm him. At least for the moment. He laughed nervously.

"Well, I think that is enough for the night, I will try and requisition you a bed or something. But other than that just keep yourself fit, we could have a mission at any time."

"Fair enough ma'am." He replied with a nod.

She smiled at him, and left the room.

He scowled after her as the door closed on him.


	4. Chapter 4

_Normandy-War Room_

Abigail Shepard stood at the briefing table in the war room which showed a communications relay, and a map from the _Normandy's_ current position, to their target destination. They were currently enroute.

"What do we know?" Abigail asked.

"The Batarian Government, the new one, as an act of good faith handed over intelligence they gathered during the raid." Miranda stepped forward, "It shows the plot was more expansive then we gave it credit for. While the Batarian led a main line attack on his own Government another off shoot of his group was going to attack key targets throughout the Citadel."

"The Citadel, that's loco." Vega piped in.

"How could they think they could attack the Citadel at this time?" Abby agreed.

"We don't know, the details were sketchy, only who the targets were not the how's. They include Matriarch Aethyta, General Taquin of the Turian Hierarchy…he has been leading several missions out in the Terminus and Batarian Space and has not had much of a chance to make it home lately, and a few other military officers and low ranking dignitaries from most of the races in Citadel Space."

"Most?" Abigail pressed.

"The Elcor and Salarians seem to be off the list." Mirada explained.

Abby arched an eyebrow, "Well it is probably nothing…but we should at least investigate the possibility."

"What about your return to Earth?" Ashley asked.

"It can wait, at least for the moment. This is on the way and it's not going to hurt us to take a peak."

"Fine." Ashley nodded, "I will make the preparations."

Abigail watched Ashley leave with a sad smile on her face, but her mind was beginning to piece through the tactical problems of what was involved to achieve success with the coming mission.

She smiled as an idea occurred to her, "You know I think it's time to see what our newest guest can do."

"Really? Are we sure we can trust him?" Miranda asked her eyes narrowing.

_Gee this sounds familiar to other recent acquisitions to the squad_. "Well, only one way to find out. Besides with me, and another squad mate on the mission, we should be able to contain any situation. And as far as his capabilities are concerned this should be a relatively simple mission."

She saw James scowl at her out of the corner of her eye and _almost_ laughed.

"You know I hate to say this Shepard but you are a valuable military commodity now-"

"You mean I wasn't before?" She said teasing mock hurt.

"Fair enough," James conceded sighing, "But you are now in a strategic role, if we lose you Jameson is going to have my ass and a real tough time replacing yours."

"You saying I'm getting old Vega?" She teased.

"I didn't say that." Vega countered, "Besides what else are me and my team for?"

The Captain of Special Forces sighed, "Fair enough James, _but_ this is an opportunity to see what Cameron can do, and I want to be there for that. I think I need to be there for that. And your team can ride in for the rescue if we get into trouble."

James shrugged and nodded slowly.

"Who else are do you want on the team?"

"It's been a while Miranda, suit u-"

Abigail's eyes widened, _oh crap_,_ what to do now…I already invited her along but to put the two of them in the same room…_

"Captain?" Miranda asked.

"You're with me, suit up."

_This should be fun_.

_Shuttle bay_

Abigail stood by the armor locker getting her armor out, placing her hand in the gauntlets, already dressed in the legging and the chest piece. She flexed her hand for the millionth time, testing the dexterity, _and it looks just plain cool_.

She looked around and…noticed the dark blue armor with rings of dark red that represented Cameron's armor, as well as his visor…that was different then hers…off to a side. _The name escapes me right now_.

"Uh…that is not exactly standard issue." She opined.

"What good is having your own combat armor if you can't customize it?" Cameron asked before heading over to the armory bin.

And he picked out…a Revenant... "You only have this thing in a seven?" Cameron asked turning to her hefting it menacingly.

She shrugged, "When Cerberus came out with the Harrier I did not see the need."

He shrugged, "I guess that is a good weapon but when you want to have pure…destruction…nothing else really comes close."

She went over to the armory bench picking out her Valkyrie, "Yeah? And what military designation are you?"

"I'm a Vanguard."

"A Vanguard without a Shotgun?"

He picked out the Carnifex and placed a scope on it. "Yep."

"OK…why?"

"My own style and Shotguns are not very good at long range, they don't have a lot of ammo, so they are not versatile, they are great when they work but when they don't… I just feel more comfortable with the Revenant…besides its cool."

She shrugged picking out her grenades and thermal clips before handing some of them to Cameron as he pocketed them.

Satisfied with the effort she looked at Cameron as she placed her Valkyrie in its place on her back as it went into its folded position.

_Now I wonder where…_

The elevator door opened impeding her thoughts, but the subject of her thoughts spilled out in her battle gear and complete with pistol holster.

_If by battle gear you mean skin tight black cat suit_, Abigail smirked at the entrance.

"Miranda?" She heard Cameron ask next to her.

She winced, _and there is the complication_.

"Yes?" Miranda said in a half sneer at her opposite number.

Cameron glanced at Abby, "Sorry," She mouthed.

Cameron shrugged, "I guess we have a mission to run."

_Council Communications Relay 427_

Abigail Shepard led the way off the Kodiak, Cameron and Miranda drawing in her wake, their weapons still in their holsters, Abby glancing around checking their progress. They did not have a welcoming committee.

The forward airlock was Spartan in its entirety, sterile, smooth. No signs of battle, no signs of anything, no one to greet them. It was more than a little eerie.

"Where are the guards? How did this guy gain access to this station in the first place?"

"Something to conference with the other intelligence arms of the Council when we get out of here." Abigail agreed.

"Right…uh…who's on point?" Cameron asked.

"Relax I got it" She said turning to him.

The three squad mates slowly moved through the empty hallway through a single door at the end of the path. It opened at their presence and showed…a similar hallway.

"Do the Citadel Council just build these things out of a modular unit or something? Just have something stamping them out?" Abigail asked smirking.

"If there is one thing that Governments just love it's their uniformity." Miranda pointed out, sneering.

"That sounds familiar." Cameron opined, "of course a lot of people would say the same thing about you, factory made, to some sort of ideal."

Miranda shot him a look, her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.

"Come on people, we can work this out later." Abigail grunted before moving on.

"We can't just keep this up, we need direction." Cameron sighed behind her.

"Yeah, hold on," She held her hand up to her ear, "EDI you got anything?"

She had to wait a second before the AI could come up with what she wanted.

"Shepard, without the ability to engage in active scans due to stealth protocols we cannot determine the internal layout or life form readings."

_Really have to work on that_, "What about the schematics? If this guy is anywhere he should be in a central com room or a communications hub, anywhere he can keep an eye on the situation and live in any relative comfort."

"One moment please." EDI said.

A noise drew the attention of the three squad mates; they looked down a side corridor where the noise came from, then at each other. Cameron Abby and Miranda shared a look, nodded slightly, and drew their weapons, in Miranda's case it was a Tempest.

The three of them again looked at each other, Shepard powered up her visor and so did her male counterpart.

They began to stalk silently down the corridor, alert for any movement, or any threat. Their weapons were not out in front of them but casually held across their bodies, only Miranda was aiming down the Submachine gun.

"I have access," EDI's voice rang out on the coms like a gun shot in the tense atmosphere, Abby winced, "there is a main command center with living quarters about twenty five meters from your position."

"Thank you EDI," Abby said toggling her Omni-tool as the information streamed onto the holographic display.

"Abigail." Cameron said next to her.

She shushed him, "Getting the data now, synching it up and I am doing to give us a tone tell us when we are getting close." She began to type the commands into the Omni-tool interface.

"Shepard." Cameron said again.

She shushed him. "Is Vega's team in position?"

"We are Shepard, awaiting your entry orders." Vega's voice claimed over her com signal.

"Captain!" The Commander shouted in her ear.

"Hold on Vega," She spun on him, "what?!"

"Listen!" He yelled.

She cocked her head to one side, doing exactly what he suggested, and she heard…something. A crawling noise or the scratching of metal on metal, and it was growing steadily louder. She looked around her surroundings, it seemed it was coming from all around them…_all around them? Oh no_

"You lead us into an intersection." Cameron said stating the now obvious.

And now that they were trapped, and using their radios, the stations internal defenses were activating.

"Stand by James," She said into the Omni-tool, "Back to back!"

She placed her Valkyrie in a ready position facing it out down the hall they were going down, Cameron flattened against her back facing the way they came, and Miranda covered both of them on Abby's left towards one of the side corridors.

"This is not exactly the best tactical position, Shepard." Miranda commented.

_Thanks for the input Miranda_; Abigail grunted as the first mech peered around the corner, it looked like the newer version of the Loki mech they had just released since they got their assembly lines back in shape.

She aimed down her Valkyrie as she heard Cameron set off a shockwave behind her, she glanced over her shoulder to see the blast jolt two mechs skyward, only to be mowed down by a precise burst of Revenant fire, the weapon roaring and jack hammering in his hand.

Her own group of mechs charged her position, the Valkyrie came up to meet them depositing high velocity molten led into the face plates of its target, ripping through the armor and circuitry.

_Click. _The weapon went, beeping with the thermal clip being depleted, _Oh son of a…the one disadvantage to this thing_. She reloaded exchanging a spent thermal clip for a new one, expertly, crisply, getting back onto the firing range in mere seconds.

The mechs advanced with the courage born of machine programming, cold, heartless. They carried Eviserator and Scimitar shot gun…and were armed with…

A missile shot out of a compartment in the wrist, exploding just in front of Abigail's fleet, nearly blinding her with its bright light, she felt her shields go down.

The Valkyrie scrambled to regain her footing, her weapon firing wildly into the crowd of mechs, she couldn't quite make them out, they were blurry, but they fell from her weapons fire.

"Abigail! Other side!" Cameron yelled behind her, she finished off the last mech with a Concussive shot before turning to join him.

Shoulder to shoulder, Valkyrie to Revenant, aiming as a signal unit the two Shepards fired as one. The group of mechs, the largest yet, fell from the combined fire but pressed the advantage they had in numbers

Abigail cooked off a grenade and tossed it into the crowd, it exploded launching them into the roof. Cameron unleashed a shockwave causing them to scatter. The Valkyrie ran out of ammo again and there was no time, Abby ripped the Eagle from its holster, held the Valkyrie out at an angle and fired, quickly emptying a thermal clip as the Revenant went to work beside her.

The combined firepower was too much for the group of mechs, they died quickly, leaving the three squad mates standing amongst the ruins.

"Wow." Cameron breathed.

Abby nodded, "I guess there is only one thing left."

Her Omni-tool trilled, she activated it.

"Lola come in damnit answer me!"

"We're fine James." She answered.

"Thank the…you should have answered! You need me to come in?"

"Sure, for cleanup, we're moving onto the final objective, Shepard out." She said cutting the link, "Come on, it's this way."

The squad moved through the snaking corridors of the station, making its way nearly to its heart.

Abigail led the way, then Miranda, then Cameron; all three of them had their weapons out. They got to the double doors of the compound, reinforced steel and concrete, sitting there, imposing.

"Well this is going to be a problem." Miranda smirked.

"Nah, unless the Spectre codes have been over ridden my Omni-tool should still be set to…" She activated it and the doors swung open, "See not difficult at all." Abigail smirked.

Miranda nodded, and the three of them flew into the building.

"Well well, if it's not the butcher of Torfan, and the destroyer of Arahtoht." A Batarian voice said as they came in.

Both the Shepard's looked up, both of them scowled at what they saw; a Batarian flanked by two more of the mechs holding Phaeton assault rifles.

"So help me if I hear that name one more time…"

"If you didn't want to be known by something Abigail Shepard, you should not have done it." The Batarian sneered.

"Who are you?" She challenged.

"The man who is going to help tear down your world."

"Tough talk for a dead man." She sneered, "Or do you really think your toys are going to save you?"

"Oh they have some modifications…att!"

Before he got the last syllable out Abigail nodded to Cameron and Miranda, and they sprung into motion.

Miranda's Omni-tool sprang to life, the overload launching at the Mech on the left, hitting it, and leaping across to the other two, stunning all three. Cameron's hand lurched out launching a green wave of energy striking the mech on the right, Abby's eyes widened, but she kept her peace. He then launched into a Biotic Charge striking the mech with an explosion of energy, the green lightning launched to the other mech.

Abigail brought up the Valkyrie to acquire the target, and switched over to a Concussive shot. The round hit the mech in its chest and exploded in the combination of energies, then the mechs core went off exploding, the Batarian flung to the ground, bleeding.

Cameron behind him picked the Carnifex out of his holster pointing it at the Batarian's head, covering him.

"Dark Channel?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah, picked up a few things from Javik." Cameron replied, "Warp ammo?"

Abigail nodded.

"Nice."

"Who is this freak another one of your sick protégés?" The Batarian sneered.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you." Abigail smirked.

"You won't get anything out of me, might as well kill me now."

"Nah," Abby shook her head approaching him while placing the Valkyrie in its proper back port, "I have to admit I am really curious about how you, a single Batarian will tear down my world."

"All Batarians are insane animals and should be put down? Isn't that your philosophy Abigail?" He sneered.

"We'll see won't we…come on get him back to the _Normandy_." She ordered, turning around and walking out.

"This isn't over Shepard! The Batarians will have vengeance on you and your ingrate species! Whether it takes a thousand years!"

His shrieks of protest echoed down at her as James and his crew moved to secure the prisoner for transport.

**AN: **Well another chapter down and I have a question. The description/ blurb for this fic? Is it just right? Too much? Make you go what the heck are you doing? Is it confusing? Does it draw your interest? I want to hear from you considering it was a bit of a gamble and I was not sure how I should implement into the fic, so I was just curious on how everyone was dealing with it.

As always, read, review, they are always appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

_Normandy-Shepard's Office_

Captain Abigail Shepard stood leaning against the data displays, the other figure in the room standing behind her looking at the picture that was on her display screen.

"Starting to miss it?" James asked.

"Home?" Abby glanced looking up at the picture, "Yeah." She snorted. "It's funny when I am here of late I cannot wait to get back to…home…my new home now that I have been promoted. But when I am there it's almost like I can't wait to get out here again."

"I know the feeling." James remarked looping his arms around her waist and pulling her back.

She responded by rubbing his arm and moving to kiss him on the cheek. He grunted sympathetically.

"But you get to come out here regularly, as you pointed out," She smirked wryly, "I am now _important_, I have to stay behind and make the 'big decisions' while you get to play the big godamn hero." She said the last with her best Zaeed imitation.

Her husband smirked wryly, "What, are you starting to suffer from buyer's remorse? Getting tired of being a house wife?"

"I am _not_ a housewife." She frowned. "But I suppose that's it in the long run…I feel like I am being torn by the need to relax, to stay there, and move on with my life, build a new life, and my desire to come out here and do the right thing, to experience the taste of adventure."

She held her head low separating the two of them for a second, "And maybe, just maybe, the need to actually create a new life, after the time I have spent taking and destroying it, after the time I have spent surrounded by death maybe it would be good to…" She choked… "Hold a life in my arms, to mold it, to protect it, personally, not in the grand way I protect life as an Alliance officer. Still serving though."

"Damn Lola, your biological clock finally ticking?" James teased.

She shot him a look.

"Sorry." He replied.

She sighed, "It's just that, I guess if I were to put a rationalization to it…for my entire life I have done only two things. I have served life…or I have taken it. I have protected what already is, or my values, but I have never truly added anything new and unique to the universe. Sure what I have done for the universe is good, but…what will be my legacy? It needs to be personal, I need the connection, and maybe I can add a truly good force to the universe? Share what I know with it so that maybe, just maybe the Galaxy doesn't make my mistakes, or theirs, ever again…I don't know it just is so crazy."

"Good crazy though." Vega smiled sympathetically.

"Yeah," She sighed. "So…what do you think about our new guest?"

"The whole thing is just loco," James arched his eyebrow, "way above my pay grade, also I make things explode, and Science really isn't my thing."

"And?" Abby arched her eyebrow.

"And…nothing."

She arched both her eyebrows, pulling her head back.

"What?" James exclaimed, "I barely know the guy, I have barely interacted with him. Though I am a bit concerned…"

"What?" Abigail smirked.

"Well he's…you…just he has…you know…man parts."

She snorted at the bewilderment going through his mind. "I don't think he is very much like me."

James knitted his brows and frowned, "Yeah…just I worry about having another you around, someone who can probably get into your head like no one else can."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about James," Abby assured, "I do tend to take my commitments seriously."

"Uh huh." James nodded, "Well I have the next shift in the armory, have to run a scenario with my team, make sure they get their pushups in on a starship you know…"

"Yeah, tell them hello from me." She chuckled.

He joined her, "Will do Shepard."

She followed him out, but turned left where he went right into the elevator to head down to the shuttle bay, while she continued down into the semi crowded mess hall. She rounded the corner looking for a place to sit, now that she was one of the crew she had limited options in where she could eat, and saw…Cameron eating.

_If by eating you mean ravenously attack it_. The Spectre snarled to herself at the sight.

Cameron, with spoon in hand that could double as a shovel some kid would use to build sand castles on the beach, attacking a large…_platter_…of Spaghetti. The plate was still chalk full, overflowing with Spaghetti touching the table, but it looked as though Cameron had made a good start on the caldera.

Abigail patted the stomach of her Battle Dress self-consciously before heading on over to join him. He did not notice her approach.

Approaching the table she waited for a second, hoping he would see her, but she did not get a reaction. She cleared her throat.

Cameron looked up at her, spinning on her, spoon protruding from his mouth with his hand still on it. He looked at her, took a gulping finishing bite of it, and continued to look at her for a second.

"Sorry." He grunted.

"May I join you?" She asked, _do I want to?_ But she was kinda curious.

"Sure, have a seat" He gestured to the bench across from her.

A crewman eagerly came to her side as she sat down and took her order…so to speak…_some men are so quick to please._ She mused.

"Well…you eat like a man who hasn't seen a decent meal in a while."

"I haven't." Cameron said around yet another spoon full of food. "This is the first chance I have had to really eat anything. And considering most of the meals I had, in private, in my cabin…heck I never allowed Miranda in my quarters when I was eating…after a mission…that often."

"And what is up with that?" Abigail pressed folding her arms up under her.

"I'm a biotic… you know that."

"Yes…is the difference really that bad?"

Cameron nodded slowly, "Yeah, human biotics aren't exactly _natural_ without either accidental element zero exposure, some other freak accident, or humans really tampering with the genetic code and put in biotic amps. We push our bodies through tremendous strains to get the job done. So we burn up calories at a much higher rate than the rest of the natural population."

"They have energy bars for that you know." Abigail suggested.

"Yeah, sure, they are good in a pinch," Cameron shrugged, "But there is no heart behind them, no passion, no real substance either. They are just stamped out in a Government factory somewhere and shipped to the troops in mechanical precision. I eat them when I can, but this…this is where it is at."

"Uh huh." Abby continued.

"This is nothing though," He chuckled, "You should see breakfast…ever hear of a two Bagel Breakfast?"

She nodded.

"Well I have a three bagel breakfast…with sausage."

"You really burn through that many calories?"

He nodded, "And on top of things biotics tend to have a higher metabolism even when they are just going about their daily lives."

She smiled, "Soldiers don't have that problem."

"I guess not." He said getting back to eating.

She let him eat, watching him finish the meal before she sprung the next bit of information on him.

He was finishing up the last of the plate, mopping it up precisely, making sure he got every single scrap and noodle of food.

A spike of annoyance arched through her.

"We need to go interrogate the prisoner."

He arched an eyebrow at her in his clean-up operations, "You sure that is not your area of responsibility?"

"You haven't interrogated anyone before?" Abigail asked trying to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Well there was this one crime lord on the Citadel who was plotting an assassination of a Turian xenophobe…"

"Good times." Abby smirked.

"Yeah…"

"So you want to be good cop or bad cop?"

"We have to do that?" Cameron frowned leaning back in his chair.

"It makes sense, and with James on with his team."

He sighed, "It tends to make me nervous is all, how will you play bad cop? How can I play the good one? Will you torture him then I swoop in and promise him the world?"

"We'll go as far as we have to." Abigail grunted.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Cameron arched his eyebrows, "What is this mission to you?"

"We need to get to the bottom of this if we hope to do our jobs, since you are stuck in this universe with me."

He sighed, "Fine, lead on."

_Normandy-Engineering_

Abigail Shepard leaned over the console showing the view of the prisoner. He was restrained, bolted down, to a chair in the Port Cargo Bay. He was calm, serene, but every once and a while he strained at the restraints testing them, seeing if he could get free.

"At least you didn't put him in my old room." Cameron mused standing behind Abby making her jump a bit.

"Well, actually truth be told I usually put prisoners down there, since the _Normandy_ does not actually have a brig…which seems to be a major design oversight."

"_He will be transferred to Alliance Authorities in eight hours' time when we rendezvous with a prison ship"_ EDI announced over the com.

"Thank you EDI." Abby mused.

"Well shall we?" Cameron asked heading for the door.

The Special Forces Captain's eyes stayed on the display screen for a few minutes, her body felt tense, before she moved to join him.

They marched in a single file line into the cargo bay the Batarian looking up at their entrance.

"Captain Abigail Shepard, I see I am at a decisive disadvantage."

"Who's behind this?"

The Batarian pulled his mouth back into a sneer, "Behind what? All I am responsible for is my own actions."

"Please, do you honestly expect us to believe that you acted on your own? Without help? How could a Batarian gain access to a Council sponsored relay station?" Cameron asked.

"An abandoned relay station out in the middle of nowhere?" The Batarian looked at Cameron. "And I don't recognize you, you seem…familiar…but I can't place you. As if I should know you."

"He is a friend." Abigail cut in before Cameron could say anything. "And this is not the point of this meeting."

He chuckled, "No, the point of this meeting is to see the big spikey monsters, lying in the darkness, waiting to come out of the darkness to rule us all."

"What did you say?" Abigail felt a shiver go through herself consciously, what he was saying, sounded _familiar_.

The Batarians chuckle grew louder, bordering on a laugh, "you have no idea what you are dealing with, are you human, what we are willing to do to make sure you suffer for the sins you have committed."

"I suggest you cooperate," Cameron started, "I do not know if I can persuade her to stay calm."

_Nice try Cam._ She smirked.

"Do what you want to me." The Batarian said turning away from her.

"Hey!" She snapped at him marching up the chair, "don't ignore me, we need to know what you know, who are you working for?"

The Batarian did not make the least indication that he heard her.

She grabbed him by the neck ripping his face to turn it around to face her, and backhanded him, causing his face to flinch back.

"Abigail." Cameron said behind her, tense.

"Who are you working for?!" Abigail shouted.

"I'm not working for anyone." The Batarian choked.

"Hey, Abby, ease up." Cameron said grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around.

The Batarian began to chuckle again, lowly.

Abigail wrenched her hand from Cameron's grasp, ripped her pistol from its holster, took aim, and fired. The Batarian yelled and flinched in the chair, dragging it across the decking as the bullet embedded in his knee cap.

She was on top of him in a second, holding down on the gaping wound and rubbing her finger across it.

"Tell me…who…you…are…working for." She hissed, "Or this is going to be the least of your problems."

"I'm not working for anyone!" He cried out.

She squeezed tighter.

The Batarian made a choking noise, "OK! OK! I don't know! Honest! I get a message every now and then in a satchel on a planet in the Terminus Systems giving me instructions. It is done through a Batarian intermediary but I only answer to the person you took down the other day!"

She let go, and smiled, "What are the coordinates?"

"They are in my Omni-tool," The Batarian said, glancing down, defeated.

"There Cameron, thank you for the assist." She said getting up, stretching, smiling at him, turning on the ball of her feet, and heading out to inform Ashley of the good news.

This left Cameron staring at the damage his opposite number did, and being most unsettled by the experience.

**AN: **Well as I was starting to write this chapter I heard some tragic news: Robin Sachs, the voice actor for Zaeed Massani, and a prolific actor starring in other video games, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and probably many other shows, has died today. While Zaeed wasn't my favorite character in the series Robin's voice acting was one of the most distinct and recognizable of the entire series, and one of my favorites. So this is my small tribute to the man, and to the character, God speed.

Also…the eating scene…a bit of an oddity eh?


	6. Chapter 6

_Normandy-Bridge_

"You sure you don't want to head back to Earth?" Ashley asked behind Abigail Shepard as she stood, in her N7 armor, behind Joker.

"Want to? Yes I want to, but we need to get to the bottom of this."

"Why? What is the rush on this?"

Abigail turned to the new _Normandy_ CO and frowned, "I don't know. But after my life experiences, the war, all I have been through, I just have developed sensitivity…and all my instincts are screaming at me that something is wrong. And it's on that planet. The answer, I hope."

"Alright, we'll be there any minute."

"Thanks Ash."

After they had dropped the Batarian terrorist off with the Alliance Prison Ship, injuries and all, then set an immediate course towards the coordinates on his Omni-tool. Away from Earth, away from the Alliance, deep into the Terminus Systems at a recently discovered Star System off of a newly opened Mass Relay, opened just before the war. That was there destination, even though she was supposed to be at home and enjoying the comforts of hearth and office.

It had taken them nearly two full days to get here; they were truly on the rickety edge, away from any Government and any system that they knew.

"ETA about ten minutes Shepard." Joker reported.

"Good…and what do you think about this?" She asked the pilot.

He snorted, "You just seem to never catch a break do you? Of course maybe that is because you keep on throwing yourself at the big spikey monsters." Joker supplanted.

She scowled, "Yeah thanks for that." _God he's right and I'm getting tired of it_.

She craned her neck around watching the Bridge and watching Joker work his console. She still had a few seconds before she had to make a decision. _But on the other hand I might as well get to work_.

Toggling her Omni-tool she activated the link to James Vega, "James? Get your team ready. Meet me, Paul, and Cameron, at the airlock."

"Finally some more action, thanks Lola."

"You're welcome James." She smirked. "Ashley…don't break the ship while I am gone she is very expensive you know." She turned to the Commander and smiled wryly.

"Thank you, and will do Skipper, same with you, don't want to tell Admiral Jameson she has to find a new Special Operations head."

"Yeah I bet you'd hate that."

_Airlock_

It took James and his team six minutes to get to the airlock, just in time for _Normandy_ to begin its run.

"Hey Lola." James greeted.

"James," She nodded.

She ran her eye over his squad, and though she had met it at various times she never really had the chance to just stand and observe it. Not on the current mission at least. Not with all the running around she was doing in the name of the Alliance. Not with the planning, the logistics, and then running her own op on the other side of the planet against the terrorists.

Following in James's wake was his second in command, a small petite blond woman who had a Valiant stapled to her back. Then a swarthy, dark skinned dark haired, with a thick beard of hair, he was carrying a Typhoon on his back and wore a Crescent Moon pendant. The last of the group was a small pale looking man, with a shotgun, who had the constancy of a Volus's environmental suit, small yet tough looking.

"Well Lola, you ready to begin?" James asked.

"Yeah, lead on." She nodded and so James did.

_Planet Surface-Main Building_

As soon as they arrived in orbit the _Normandy's_ sensors detected a building in the middle of the sprawling planes of which the vast majority of the planet consisted. They were now in the middle of the mega structure, carefully making their way through the ramp to the other side.

It was dark; the only light was coming from the end of the path, a dull pulsating blue. Abigail led the squad over the ramp, carefully picking their way through the uneven surface, roots and barbs growing over the side. Her squad followed her, and then James and his group brought up the rear.

Her Valkyrie was out, to the side, as she kept her eyes narrowed searching for any threats, the blue light was growing steadily brighter as they approached, almost the direct center of the structure.

"Whoa, Lola, you feel that?" James asked from behind.

_He's right_, "Yeah my arms do feel kinda funny….tingly."

"Whatever the energy is must be causing this." Paul grunted.

"Yes…thanks for the technical description." Abby snapped back, and then toggled her Omni-tool. "EDI, can you analyze what we are facing down here?"

She waited for a response…longer than usual… "EDI?"

_Nothing_.

"Our Omni-tools are jammed?" Cameron asked incredously.

"Looks that way." Abby concurred grunting bring her Valkyrie to hand and aiming down it.

"What can block Omni-tool communication?" Cameron murmured.

"Well there is jamming…"

"Yeah, I know, but the link to EDI is pretty special, if someone can block that…" Cameron countered.

Abigail grunted, "Well only one way to find out, come on."

She picked up her pace slightly, her team followed her, she was more confident, more emboldened now that she hadn't fallen yet, haste was driving her, and the want to restore communication with the _Normandy_. _But if I do misjudge my footing it's not like I'm going to suffer very long_.

The squad got to the end in two groups, fanning out and securing the area. The place was a small misshapen…hut…looking thing with a door attached. The door was open…constantly. She entered, hugging the wall and the Valkyrie close, as they both jutted off at a sharp left, and then took another sharp turn to the right.

She entered, looked up, shocked, her Valkyrie pointing downwards.

"Hey Lola, why'd you…whoa." James said looking up.

"That's new." Cameron agreed.

The center of the room, the center of the structure, was long gout of white-blue energy arching ever skyward. The rest of the room was made of a transparent structure, the floor, the walls, and on the walls looked like displays and status reports, a standard GUI display…

"The whole room is a computer screen." Paul remarked, awe dripping from his voice.

"This is one giant command center for something." The Valkyrie agreed, whistling. "But come on we need to find this satchel he was talking about, spread out."

The squad did so.

It didn't take Abby long to find the Satchel, it was leaning against one of the communication panels, and she picked it up.

"Found it." She remarked leaning down to open it up, she ran her fingers on it and tried to slowly open it, she rummaged around for a few minutes and the screen popped open.

And in it was a single palm print type device.

_Rats_, Abigail thought…but tentively stuck her palm on the surface, face down.

The thing whirred beneath her, then glowed, her hand felt warm, quickly increasing to almost blazing hot, she felt the instinct to recoil rise in her, but fought it down. Then as fast as it happened, it stopped.

Abby thought she had done wrong, the board was still silent, nothing else happened, she stroked it slightly, and it looked sun burnt. She sighed, was about to get up…

And it chirped at her.

She hesitated for a second, but nothing else…then quickly the screen came to life, it showed a rapid fire scroll of text racing down the screen, a GUI keyboard resolved over the hand print.

Tentively she pressed down on some of the buttons, trying to slow the pace of the data racing down the screen. Finally, after hitting the back space and down arrow, she managed it. The screen paused, highlighted certain pieces of information, and brought them to the forefront.

Her eyes widened as she pressed down on another button. The name that popped up…_my name?_ She highlighted more file folders, attempting to learn more, racing, hoping the information she was reading was not true.

"Oh my God…James!"

"Abby? I think you might want to see this!"

She glanced up towards James's voice, noticing where he was in relation to her. _Should I go to him…_ She had something to tell him, something to tell them all, if the information in this satchel was legitimate then they were all in danger. But something in his voice…got to her…_He called me Abby…he never does that… with that tone_.

She got and went over to him.

"What?" She asked approaching him from behind.

"Take a look…" He said, gesturing and moving out of the way.

And she felt her stomach fall out from under her, felt her mouth join it, and felt her hairs rise up on her arm as if the object before her was really admitting some form of energy.

Below her feet was a sphere, a Leviathan sphere, glowing with its malicious and mysterious purpose. She hadn't seen one since she discovered the Leviathans…but there it was…sitting there, menacing, yet feeling oddly attractive…as if it were drawing her in.

_Why am I so afraid of this?_ She wondered, _because I know what it represents…along with the Satchel. _

She was violently drawn out of her musings.

"Welcome." She heard a voice say.

She spun around ripping the Eagle from its holster and aiming down the sights, she heard the clicks and the buzzing of similar weapons being activated.

Before her was a pale looking man, peering back at her with narrow white eyes. His smile that was on his face mere seconds before turned into a puzzled frown.

"You aren't apart of the circle." He said confused.

"The circle?" Abigail asked.

"The Circle, the Darkness, the death of flesh." The man replied in a murmur.

"OK…"

The squad and the man stayed together, staring at each other, looking at one another, waiting for the other one to flinch. Both of the groups blinked.

"Uh…James…could you please take this…human…into custody…"

"Argh!" The man yelled diving for the console.

James's Harrier came up into his shoulder and he fired, hitting the man in the back and slamming him into the wall, but his hand fell, right, on the console.

"Oh crap."

A screeching noise rang through the facility; Abigail winced, and then yelled over the noise. "Come on, let's move, James grab the Satchel and let's get out of here, double time it people!"

Abigail grabbed up the Satchel and placed it on James's back port, he made sure it was stable before heading for the door, jogging there, Abigail and her squad held the back for a second, making sure they weren't ambushed immediately, before she too followed the Lieutenant out the door.

And the ramp was just as small as it was before, impeding their march to escape the facility, and Abby could just begin to make out more screeching and crawling. She paused, it was coming from all around them, from the ceiling, and from down the pit just over the side.

"Now what?" She wondered aloud starting to move again.

Abigail heard a scream, a female sounding scream, and ripped her eyes up just in time to see the female soldier of James's group be ripped into the sky by something, by two powerful arms and a black looking figure.

James stopped, firing up into the air after the thing with his Harrier.

"Abigail we need to keep moving." Cameron said behind her.

"James! Keep moving! Team fire on the run!"

Paul ripped his Eagle out just in front of her and began to fire it into the air, and then he began to move, swapping out Thermal Clips.

The Special Forces Captain felt something go around her ankle, and yank. She spilled forward face first into the ground hitting the damp, mossy, path. Her wind was knocked out from her and she grunted in response. The thing behind her screeches and sounded as though it was going to jump on her and rip her apart.

That is until Cameron's Revenant went to work behind her.

She scrambled to her feet ripping the Valkyrie from its weapons port and deploying it in her hand. The weapon came up as she pivoted on her knees swinging around, checking the area. The creatures which were attacking them seemed to be multiplying and gathering to eat them.

Cameron unleashed a shockwave in midair, picking off two of the creatures out of thin air. Paul fired off a Thermal Clip from his Valiant.

She began to move again heading for the entrance, she could just see it, James and his team was almost out.

A screech in her face drew her attention, a claw ripped at her face nearly knocking her down; she kept her Valkyrie out in front of her.

One of the Creatures came over the top of the ramp at her; she launched a Concussive Shot in its face, and then spun around, using pure adrenaline and instinct to direct her actions, bringing her Valkyrie almost into the face of a creature. She pressed the trigger, double tapping it, the four rounds exploded out of the barrel, the first burst caught it square in the chest and the second burst ripped through its head. The thing's lifeless body toppled over the side.

Cameron's Revenant was working behind her as he was firing down over the side.

She heard another scream and spun around the other way, and another one of James's squad, the Arab, was whacked over the head and slashed across the neck, killing him instantly.

"Come on!" James yelled.

Shepard broke out into a borderline jog run making her way down the path; James's final squad member was laying down fire with his shot gun, skeet shooting them out of the air.

But the cover didn't last long, one of the creatures climbed up his back, and ran a shard talon across his neck. The oddly collapsed dragging the thing with it. James drew a bead on it and fired with the Harrier, it was too late though.

He yelled frustrated as Abby shot past him out into the bright sun.

James followed her, backing out with his weapon covering the door, then Cameron came bringing up the rear, at a full run, Paul was already standing there.

The Valkyrie came up and fired into the room, as did James's Harrier. The two of them emptied into the path they just exited, but they were still coming, spilling over, threatening to rush their position.

"James!" She yelled. "Grenades!"

Husband and Wife tossed one set of grenades, then got another pair out and rolled it. The four ordinances exploded among the tightly packed assemblage.

But still they came.

"Cameron!" She yelled.

The Biotic leapt forward and launched his hand out, a blue burst exploded from it, and hit the forward facing creature lurking him back in Dark Channel. A shockwave burst from his hand, hitting the creature square in its chest, and the mingling of energies exploded dramatically. The Building lurched painfully, groaned, and then began a dramatic collapse.

The squad backed up but otherwise watched it go, collapsing and tearing in on itself.

"What the hell…was on this Satchel…that could justify that?"

Abigail shook him down and activated her com, "Steve, get down here, we are ready for evac, and double time it."

"Lola?" James demanded angrily stepping in front of her.

She sighed, "It's an assassination list, and my name is on it."

"What do you mean?" James blurted.

"The Leviathans, it all makes sense, they must be hiring out to private contractors and terrorist groups. They are launching a coup against the Council Governments and they need to assassinate anyone they can't control."

James whistled, "Whoa."

She nodded, "Yeah…Daniel's name is on the list…and so is…Garrus."

"Garrus?" James shouted as the Kodiak began to roar down.

"Yeah, let's go get him."

_Normandy-CIC_

Abigail Shepard and squad gathered around the Galaxy Map as she filled them in on her plan, and the details of the Satchel.

"We need to go get Hudson first." Ashley objected first.

"We may not have time to get either," Abigail pointed out, "this thing only goes down in 50 hours."

"Even more reason to go after the former Prime Minister, we have an obligation here." Ashley pointed out.

Abby sighed.

"He has his own security detail." James pointed out.

"Yeah…but if this information is right then anyone could be behind this, anyone can be a part of the assassination." Abigail countered shaking her head.

"Look Shepard…I know how much Garrus means to you…but we are Alliance officers…if we go after him and Daniel dies…"

"I know Ash, I know…"

"And I'm in command here…I'm taking us to save-"

"Cynthia," Paul exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" Shepard and the Commander asked together.

"She's on Earth, going to the academy. She could provide us with cover and go and make sure he is safe."

Abigail nodded, "If you think we can risk it Ashley, if you can't…I will back up your decision."

Ashley bit her lip, "Let's go get Garrus…Joker set a course."

"Aye aye."

"Traynor, get Cynthia's Omni-tool on the line," Abigail ordered.

"Yes ma'am."

It took nearly ten minutes but finally Cynthia's bright and distorted face finally appeared in the Galaxy Map hole.

"Shepard," She exclaimed, "is that you?"

"Yeah, no time for pleasantries, we are burning a lot of power reaching you…someone is going to try and assassinate the Former Prime Minister Hudson."

"OK…"

"Trust no one Cynthia," Abigail admonished, "but get there as fast as you can."

"Well if I am supposed to trust no one," Cynthia smirked, "Besides you do know I have class right?"

"This is top priority; we'll be there to evacuate him as soon as possible."

"Right on." She nodded, "Cynthia out."

"Joker, how long till we get to Palaven?"

"Fifty hours Shepard," Joker replied over the coms.

"Damn," Abigail grunted, "Just do your best."

"I usually do." Joker assured.

As the _Normandy_ raced off into battle once again.


	7. Chapter 7

_Palaven_

Corbulo, led a squadron of the Armigier Legion, through the orange and blue halls of the new Turian High command building. A makeshift looking building since the old one was a vaporized pile of dust, a monument to the Reaper war; this was en lieu of a new building that the Hierarchy was hoping to complete by the end of the year.

He was here with his men to 'take care' of a problem the Hierarchy had developed, namely one Garrus Vakarian. The former War Hero had been declared a threat to everything that he stood for. And so, he would remove that threat.

"Alright men, you know who we are dealing with, he is armed and presumed dangerous with special training from across the Galaxy."

"Sir…isn't he a war hero sir? Why are we going after a war hero?" The youngest member of his squad spoke out.

"Because we have orders, straight from the Primarch."

"Yes sir."

"Just be careful."

He got back to his watch aiming down his weapon and watching for the inevitable threat. _Garrus is the only one in here, after all_.

"Sir!"

"What is it?" He snapped to his second in command.

"I don't know…something."

The Special Forces Commander glanced around the room, nothing, just a few offices down the hall and a sweeping staircase that led to a balcony overlooking one of the buildings three plazas.

_Wait…a balcony_.

A popping sound shot out among the silence and a spherical looking device appeared next to the leg of one of the guards, they blinked at it, before it exploded knocking the guard back, into one of the stations pieces of pottery.

Bringing the Harrier to hand he looked down the sights, but a rapid fire sequence…_sounds_ _like a Viper_, caused him to duck yet again. Just in time to see another one of his men get hit repeatedly in the chest by the flying rounds from the unknown assailant.

_Of course we know who it is you idiot_, he admonished.

Getting up again on his hands and knees he charged for the edge of the wall, firing his Harrier, snapping off three quick bursts at the banister. He got himself in position.

His maneuver was answered by an overload blast; it knocked through his men frying their suits and causing them to stumble, fall, and their shields to fail. Before they could recover a full stutter from a Phaeston took them out en masse. The look of shock was permanently plastered on the corpse of the youngest, and newest, recruit of the squadron, the one who mere seconds before wondered if Garrus Vakarian was really a threat.

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and resolved to do better. He activated his suits rocket pack and launched himself into the air, through another burst of Phaeston fire which took out his shields, a bullet lodging in his hip. He ignored the pain and closed on the target.

Activating his Omni-blades he landed, swinging his arm around trying to take off the head of the attacker.

His enemies Phaeston went flying from his hand and Corbulo grunted in satisfaction to himself. This turned into a grunt of pain as Garrus slammed full bore into his wound, and deployed an Omni-blade of his own in one hand.

Corbulo ducked out of the way, stepped on the Turian general's foot, and launched himself backwards.

When his maneuver completed he deployed a stimulant pack with his Omni-tool and fired on the fleeing general, all it did though was make some very large and smoldering holes in the banister and the wooden walls.

The Turian Ghost popped in a fresh thermal clip, and got the weapon back in fighting shape. He glanced around the room, walking through the debris from the fight, only to be slammed against the wall by a flying Turian body.

He winced, but had no time to recover as Garrus activated his Omni-blade once again and swung down for his hip, the Ghost blocked the strike and retaliated quickly by knocking into one of Garrus's mandibles. The Turian general responded by slamming a fist into the hip causing Corbulo to cry out in pain behind his mask.

Driving a leg into Garrus's stomach he drove him off, and made his way out into the center of the room again. They stared each other down, Garrus raised his arm up, activated his Omnit-tool, as did Corbulo, as they both stunned each other with a dual overload blast.

His shields cut out again and he fell, but he heard the proper hiss as Garrus's did likewise. He charged again swinging his arm around to bash it across Garrus's face from above, but his opponent was already waiting for him, catching the blow, and kneeing him in the gut. The general went to back hand him and the Ghost's arm reflexively went up to block the strike.

The two opponents traded rapid fire blows with their hands knocking into each other's trying to get through their manual defenses, Corbulo felt that he was beginning to strain the elder Turian though.

But it didn't last; Garrus slammed his foot down into Corbolu's ankle, then took his other foot and slammed it into his gut. The powerful double strike took the Turian infiltrator off guard and flipped him over the railing.

He landed in a heap, fortunately his suits automatic functions kept him from being snapping his back into a million pieces, just straining his suit. He glared up onto the upper balcony, as Garrus flipped open a pouch in the side of his armor and popped open a pistol. He aimed down at Corbulo, the Infiltrator's eyes widened, and he tried to flee under the hail of gun fire that the Turian general sent after him. One of the rounds imbedding itself in his lower back, and the other one in his right shoulder blade.

Without extra thermal clips, without shields, and with his suit badly damaged he started to limp, heading for the exit, intending to get out of the area and inform the rest of the military what had happened. He rounded a corner…

And saw his plan was no longer necessary, as a group of Turian soldiers mounted one of the entrance stairs, led by…

"Primarch Victus?" The Infiltrator asked surprised.

"Yes." The Turian leader announced.

"I am surprised you would be leading this mission yourself, given your importance, and the danger of the fugitive we are facing."

"I thought it would be good to be here, I gave Garrus his position, and I trusted him to fulfill his word."

"He is around the corner on a balcony." Corbulo gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.

"Thank you Captain," The Primarch gestured for his guards to rush forward.

The two guards ran around the corner and fired their Phaestons up at the bannisters. But they were unsatisfied as their work as they continued onto their position.

_The Permieter_

Abigail Shepard stood holding the hand hold on the top of the Kodiak Shuttle as it pivoted in midair.

The cargo bay door popped open showing the outside of the Turian's currently military headquarters. Shepard wasn't sure but she could've sworn from the building that it was standing long before the Turians had moved into it to make it the command center. Though she noticed what looked like rubble strewn throughout the complex.

"Is that gunfire?" James asked behind her.

She strained her ear and heard what sounded like the rapid fire stutter of Turian Phaeston fire.

"Yeah, I agree." Miranda supplanted before Shepard could start anything.

"Alright, get ready, Cortez put us down on the deck by one of the balconies." Shepard said getting the Valkyrie off of its back port.

"Right away Commander."

Shepard heard James and Miranda deploy their Hurricane and their Harrier respectively.

"Alright get ready…get ready…get ready…OK…Jump!"

The three of them jumped as one as the shuttle gently strafed over the external balcony, they landed in a heap, and Abigail kicked out the glass door. Satisfied she went through, drawing her Valkyrie out in front of her as she heard the weapons fire continue to reverberate through the building.

"Come on, we don't know who we are dealing with here." She ordered, "Watch your corners, and anyone who is not Garrus or not one of the squad consider a hostile…and deal with extreme prejudice."

"But…we're here under the Alliance…if Alliance officials murder Turians…" Miranda started.

"I don't care, we can deal with the fall out later, I am a Council Spectre, I don't like it but that is where we stand, in an active combat situation without the ability to knock out the enemy without exposing ourselves to undue harm."

Vega nodded, as did Miranda.

"Lead on boss," The latter said.

And Shepard did rounding the corner with her Valkyrie out before her, scanning ahead for any possible threats or foibles. And one of them appeared in front of her, a Turian stalking across the upper hallway, not expecting to run into her.

_So I will run into him_, she decided, rushing forward, deploying her Omni-blade, twisting it into the unsuspecting soldiers gut, and then slamming him against the wall.

Satisfied he was dead she gripped her Valkyrie tighter, and slowly made her way around the perimeter, the gunfire was getting louder and more severe, as it burst back into activity. She used the opportunity to run silently, getting into position, rolling around one of the corners.

And she saw Garrus, up another floor; it looked like he was bleeding from one of his shoulders, his talon holding it trying to stop the bleeding. Down from him was a group of soldiers led by the Turian…Primarch…Victus. She scowled seeing him, figuring she knew why he was here, and the implications for it weren't exactly pleasant to her Military mind.

"Garrus!" She hissed.

Her Turian friend rolled his eyes over to her seeing who called him, his mandibles twitched in the light, "Shepard." He mouthed.

She smiled assuredly at the Turian before getting to work.

Gesturing to Miranda and James she ordered them to go around the perimeter and establish a cross fire with their weapons. They went off to do that and she moved getting closer to Garrus, right in the way of the marching Turian Primarch and his guard, she could look down in slits in the railings.

She placed her Valkyrie back on its back panel and switched it out for her Black Widow. She then leaned the weapon up against the railing.

"Primarch Victus!" She called out craning her head over the railing so he could get a good look at her face before she jolted it back behind cover.

"Captain Shepard? Congratulations on the promotion. What are you doing here?"

"Oh you know, trying to rescue a friend." She replied, thrusting her hand in a compartment in her armor and rummaging around.

"It is not in the nature of Council Spectres to interfere in the internal affairs of the Council Races. Even for personal friendship."

"And it is not in the nature of Turian Primarchs to be led to the slaughter by beings far beyond the Hierarchy's boarders." She countered deftly.

There was a long silence, but finally the Primarch responded, "I see you believe the same things Garrus here does, that makes you a threat to our people, just like Saren, and you will be put down."

"You sure you want to do that?" She countered again.

"Would you really assassinate a Turian Primarch? Me your old friend?"

"It is you who have turned against your friends and all you held dear."

"Then we have nothing more to say to one another."

"No…we do not…"

Abby saw the Primarch nod to two of his men who leapt forward at her. She nodded, went into an Adrenaline Rush, and tossed a grenade over the railing right at their feet.

The Soldiers glanced down at the grenade, and lurched back, too late though as it exploded. The blast staggered them, even though their shields, driving them back on one foot. Abigail nodded to herself and mounted the railing with her Sniper Rifle; she fired, snapping off two quick rounds, switching between the targets. The Slug slammed the armor aside, knocking through their heads, dropping the two soldiers.

Abigail ducked, preparing for the reprisal, holding a new thermal clip in her hand, but she changed her mind and switched back to her Valkyrie.

She glanced over her shoulder as more Turian's came through the doorway at her.

"James!" She yelled.

The Soldier and the Sentinel opened fire on their own targets, she heard the weapons fire, and saw the flash from the weapons as they pinned their targets down and gave them something new to think about.

She used the distraction and leapt into action, rolling around one of the pillars getting closer to Garrus. She glanced around the corner again watching the battle, watching the Turian forces continue to advance closer to her; one of them had tech armor deployed.

Satisfied she held herself low to the ground, and fired down on the incoming soldiers, through the railings, her Valkyrie sticking through it, and she aimed down.

The Soldier took a hit in the chest, and felt in a heap to his death.

She grinned and finished her approach to Garrus, "Well my friend, you have gotten into another real pickle."

He rolled an eye at her and chuckled, "And you are always here to pull me out of the fire. Just like old times."

"Hey," She grinned, "I figured I owed you after you had bailed us out at Tiptree."

He chuckled and coughed. After the coughing had subsided he looked at her again, "You have an escape plan?"

Abby stood up and hefted her Valkyrie, "Yeah," She said, "escape. Get to the Kodiak, get to the _Normandy_ then haul ass out of the system."

He snorted, "Sounds good Shepard."

She offered him his hand and hefted him up, he winced all the way, but he was on his feet, favoring his shoulder, but alive.

Abigail popped off another thermal clip keeping the forces honest, they were still in a three way cross fire and they could not advance too quickly, but they were about to have their chance.

"Alright people, everyone, retreat, ordered retreat, meet at rally point three." She ordered into her head set.

All that greeted her announcement was the rapid fire stutter of Harrier and Tempest, followed by silence, and then the repeated stutter of weapons fire as the two squad mates engaged in a fighting retreat, keeping the enemy on their toes.

"Come on," She muttered to Garrus grabbing his arm.

Abigail and her former Turian squad mate fell back; she held the backdoor with her Valkyrie.

They went to another stairwell heading up to the third and final floor, going up it. The Turian squadron came up them; Abigail turned around and fired at them. They continued to come up the stairs but slower and less certain then they had before.

_Almost there_, she thought to herself, a fleeting pang of guilt going through her at all the Turian lives she was ending needlessly, dying for a cause they probably did not truly understand, _but I have no choice_.

She finally bumped into Miranda and James; they briefly nodded at each other before going through the door. The grand balcony of the Turian Military complex greeted them, a solid path leading to a sharp over look, overlooking the mountains of Palaven.

They ran, as a group, heading for the edge, but the Turians began to pour in after them.

"Staggered approach, covering fire!" She shouted turning on their assailants.

She felt the Kodiak swoop down behind her as she moved to acquire the target in her sights. Firing she forced them back taking out two of the soldiers, the rest advanced, she fell back staying low.

James replaced her on the line, unleashing his own hail of bullets in three straight bursts into the enemy formation.

She felt her shields drop from the impact of a Phaeston burst and looked behind her to see James's armor sheen as he applied his fortification bonuses.

She went into Adrenaline burst adding power to her shields restoring them for a few seconds.

"Wall of fire!" She yelled out.

The squad fired their thermal clip as a single unit, draining their weapons at the enemy, forcing them to take cover behind them, giving them a few seconds.

"Come on! Break for it!" She yelled.

She turned with her squad as they ran for the shuttle, the Turian weapon fire breaking out behind them trying to stop them, her shields took a beating from the rear, failing. A round plowed through her shoulder, but she applied medi-gel quickly and continued to work through it.

Gathering her feet up under her she leapt, crossing the distance from the balcony to the waiting Kodiak.

She landed with a crunch, gathered her feet back under her, and turned around to flash a sneer at the Turian Primarch. As he whipped out of view as Cortez punched the accelerator, she saw him cursing at her, shaking his fist.

The Shuttle quickly ascended into orbit, onto the _Normandy_ and the _Normandy_ rushed off to the Mass Relay.


	8. Chapter 8

_Normandy-Deck 3_

Captain Abigail Shepard walked by the memorial wall heading for the elevator, but Garrus whipped around the corner intercepting her.

"Garrus." She nodded.

"Captain." He sniffed.

"So…trying to get away from the infirmary?"

He gave her a lopsided smirk and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted, "Garrus!"

Chakwas came tearing around the corner after the wayward Turian general.

"Relax Doctor," Abigail held up a hand trying to head the elder woman off at the pass, "He's with me."

She frowned at the pronouncement.

"If he collapses in the war room it's just a couple of steps away." Abigail assured her.

Chakwas sniffed, "fine." She left.

Leaving the two friends together standing in front of the elevator, she entered in the destination code and they stepped through into it.

"Thanks for coming to get me." He muttered.

"Vakarian and Shepard." She said.

"True." He acknowledged.

"Besides, I figured I owed you for bailing our ass out over Tiptree."

"Fair enough." Garrus chuckled.

The elevator stopped and they walked out into the CIC as a group, the Galaxy Map was twinkling off in the background, Traynor was at her post.

"Ah, any word from Cynthia yet?" Shepard asked walking by.

"She just checked in and right now their position is secure." Traynor replied.

"Good," Shepard smiled relieved.

She turned, with Garrus, as they both continued to head for the War Room. She leading, _since he is not officially apart of the crew_.

"Speaking of which," She blurted out.

"Hmmm?"

"Your position on the armory is still there if you want it, as well as the squad."

"Yeah, why not, deposed Turian general, rogue agent of the law, you certainly seem to have a way of picking up strays." He chuckled.

"Welcome aboard Garrus Vakarian." Abigail nodded going through the barricade.

They walked into the War Room and the rest of the squad was already waiting for them, led by Ashley herself. A holographic representation of a building revolved around the top of the table quickly, a three story building.

"Status?" Abigail asked looking around the table.

"This is the family home of the Hudson's, Daniel's current residence. He has moved back there since his term as Prime Minister ended. Fortunately most people don't know that. He disappeared from the public consciousness almost as soon as he was defeated by Soren."

"Speaking of which has any attempt on his life been made?" Abigail asked.

Miranda glanced nervously at EDI, "None. In fact he has been making some odd pronouncements and internal memos that have been a bit…strange."

"Care to elaborate?" Abigail requested.

"Well he is moving a large number of military forces throughout Earth and the rest of the Alliance…including the hit squad that is going after Daniel Hudson."

"What?" Shepard asked.

"Just like the Primarch…Shepard what is going on here?" Garrus asked.

"On a planet in the Terminus systems we found a base that contained a satchel with a list of assassinations and a…Leviathan sphere. The satchel gave us the list we used to bail you out over Palaven."

"Damn." Garrus grunted.

"Yeah, this is loco." James whistled in the corner.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Ashley asked.

"Well," Abigail thought aloud, her mind racing to 'solve', the problem,  
"unfortunately with how quickly Soren has established Government programs… if he has been indoctrinated…and then the Turian Primarch, that is two Council Governments they have in their pocket. And who knows about the Salarians and the Asari…so nothing much we can do….. We just have to keep ahead of the events as best we can and survive."

"Well that's…grim."

"Yeah the universe just keeps finding ways to get me." Abigail smirked.

As much as she considered what she said a joke the people in the room froze, each one of them, by the looks on their faces considering what she had just said. And Abby considered it too, _always in the most desperate situations, the only one who can save the day…well maybe not this time_.

"Alright, what else can you tell me about the house and the surrounding area?" She asked.

The building zoomed down the screen and adjusted to a more topographical view as rolling hills and trees started popping in around the display, no color, just the whitish blue as was the building. The Hudson homestead was now smaller in the grand scheme of things lost in the expanse of forest. Shepard studied this map for a second.

"His home is built on the outer edge of Vancouver. It is surrounded by a woodland area and thick cover stretching out at least five square kilometers, plenty of places to set up an ambush or an assault of some kind."

"Wonderful," Paul groused.

Abigail nodded to herself thinking pretty much the same thing, and also dissecting the tactical situation. "Two teams?" She asked semi-rhetorically.

"I don't see why not." Ashley agreed.

Abigail saw James stiffen out of the corner of her eye and winced internally.

"Alright Ash, you lead team two, take them hunting into the woods, whenever the assassination squad shows up I want to be there to intercept them, make sure we can do our best to establish the perimeter. Meanwhile me, James, and Garrus will secure the Prime Minister and get him and Cynthia out."

"Sounds like a plan, though you sure I am up to it?" Garrus asked.

"If you think you are Vakarian," She answered turning to him.

He shrugged, "Sure, should be fun."

"And I think I'll put Cameron on it we could use a Vanguard out there to charge around the swaths of battle field we are likely to be dealing with."

"You sure?" Abigail asked the newly minted Commander.

"Yeah, you vouch for him don't you?"

The Spectre nodded, "Yeah, I do, and he is a good soldier but you haven't had contact with him."

"Might as well get used to it."

"Who will that leave in command? Joker?" Garrus asked.

Abby chuckled, "You know he gets to be in command more at this rate than the rest of us."

Ashley snorted, "And he is only a Lieutenant."

The squad shared a moment smiling, kicking their heals at the floor before moving onto the next business.

"Alright, we are only an hour or so away from Earth. Get rest, and do whatever you need to do to get prepared. Pray to whatever gods or spirits you need to; make peace, I think this is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better." Captain Shepard, first human Spectre, and Alliance Special Forces, informed her crew.

"Back into the breach eh Skipper?" Ashley remarked ironically.

She nodded, "let's just do our jobs, and we'll get through the other side."

_A lie,_ she knew, sometimes bad things happened to good people in war. But they had all the information they needed to get the job done, they had everything they needed to get the job done, the only thing they didn't have was control over the fates of the Universe. If it was their time to go, it was their time. But they could prepare and do everything in their power to make sure it was they, not their enemies, who came out the other side at the end.

_Which,_ Abby swallowed dramatically, _is other human…humans firing at humans…wonderful_.

"Crew, dismissed." She ordered.

The squad nodded and began to fill out of the room.

_Deck 3-Shepard's Office_

Captain Abigail Shepard sat on the lap of her husband James Vega, hand wrapped around his shoulder, another one around his waist, and her head nestling against his. After checking in through the armory and getting the grenades she wanted out of storage she headed straight here, to join Vega. They had not really had much of a chance to talk, or more the will to talk since the mission where they revealed the sphere.

"It always has to happen, doesn't it? We get free, only to have the Galaxy explode on us, and we are caught right in the maelstrom."

"Don't remind me," She sighed, "though I can only imagine what would have happened had we been on Earth the last couple of weeks as this were breaking down, and Soren was seizing power, I wonder if we would have been caught flat footed."

"Have you tried to contact Admiral Jameson?" Vega asked.

Abigail bit her lip, "I just can't risk it…she has been on Earth these last several months, we are on our own until we know or have good reason to believe otherwise."

Vega stayed silent at the revelation and nestled into her holding her close.

They stayed like that for several moments, _I'm sure neither one of us really want to talk about the dark, dank, depressing affairs of state and the recent whirlwind that we have been a part of_. She smiled, _I told Grunt it has to end one day, and it does, but God just keeps on finding ways of keeping my occupied_.

She cast her eyes skyward, _no offense_.

"Abby?" James asked at the sudden shift of her weight.

"Hmm?" She murmured.

"Something the matter?" He asked turning to her.

"Just thinking."

"That is one of the most dangerous things a human being can do." Vega teased.

She smirked, "Yeah, how about you? You haven't exactly been a bubbling pile of joy recently."

"Yeah…my squad." Vega grunted.

"I'm sorry." Abby replied.

"Don't be, not your fault…just I wonder that has the record now on the most people who have died around them…" He blew his cheeks out. "Sometimes I think we're too alike Shepard, I mean its nuts, and we should just be reminders of all we have lost…"

"And all we've gained." Abigail nodded emphatically.

"Well yeah," He agreed, "but when is enough?"

"You'll know when you reach your limit Vega," She agreed, "and hell truth be told we have reached our limit a long time ago, the first time someone dies under your command and you realize you had a hand in sending them there. But you either give into the feelings of loss and rage, you quit, or you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and head back at it."

"Yeah…" Vega's voice drifted off, he snapped his head up, "Oh speaking of which I have been working on something the last several weeks…consider it an early birthday present."

"Oh?"

The Lieutenant disengaged himself and went over to the computer console. He began to work through it bringing up a holographic display. Curious she got up and joined him, looking as the image began to take shape.

"It's my Valkyrie." She said when it came clearer. "You are getting me a Valkyrie for my birthday? How nice."

"Just watch," He chuckled continuing to work.

The lower barrel highlighted and spun out of the weapon, a cylinder inserted smugly into it.

"I have always wondered what that second barrel was for on the Valkyrie, it just seemed to be sitting there… so I decided to take a leaf out of the Falcon's book, and a leaf out of old military doctrine, and make…a grenade launcher."

She grinned at the sudden thought.

"I mean, well you know modern weapons, even with the shavings of metal being ejected at high velocities, but that does not give them much of an ability for an AOE, and there are ways of limiting them. Why the Alliance developed and adopted the Falcon for heavy munitions…but…"

"If you combine the two effects," Abigail grinned nodding.

"Thank you James," she kissed him on the cheek.

Her stomach lurched painfully, "I'm going to grab me something to eat, what you want?"

"I'm not hungry," Vega replied.

"Alright, well…catch you later."

"See ya, don't have any Spaghetti or anything, we will be jumping off soon."

"Thanks dear," She said with a mock purr rolling her eyes, but leaned down to kiss him before getting up and dashing off into the mess hall proper.

The door opened and Cameron was there waiting for her with his arms folded across his chest.

"Cameron," Abigail nodded, "Want to join me for some light dinner? Vega is taking a rain check."

"Sure," He shrugged his shoulders falling into line with her, "why not?"

She nodded as they both fell in line at the counter. She took a couple pieces of bread and lathered a light layer of butter on them. Cameron took six pieces…and some sausage. She glanced at the food, he smirked at her.

"So how does it feel having to sit in the mess hall and eat now that you have been kicked out of your cabin?" Cameron asked as they sat down.

"I don't mind, in fact I was usually down here anyways mingling with the crew, having…eggs." Abigail smirked getting her coffee.

Cameron nodded eating his meal for a couple of bites before staring at her.

She ignored him for a couple of seconds, slowly chewing on her food, rolling it around, feeling self-conscious under the raptor's gaze.

"What?" She finally snapped.

"You tortured that Batarian."

"It wasn't the first time I have done something like that." She smirked.

"I know, I've started to read your file, and your bio. At least what I could…you certainly have a violent…reputation."

"And? I doubt you are completely clean." She rejoinded.

"Probably not, but I know when to stop."

"'When to stop?'" She mocked, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I just think you are taking this whole thing a little personally."

"I beat up on Elias Kellham."

"Ah yes, but you didn't put a bullet through him did you?"

"True enough…" She shrugged.

"You just seem desperate. Rabid, over this whole thing."

"And it's a good thing I was or we never would have been able to save the Prime Minister…or Garrus Vakarian."

"Yeah, just be careful is all."

"Will do." She nodded.

She finished off her meal and sat there for a few seconds, they had the time before they hit Earth.

"There was one thing I couldn't find information on," Cameron said mopping up his mouth, "Torfan?"

Abby felt her face harden into a stony mask as she glared at Cameron over the brim of her coffee cup.


	9. Chapter 9

_The Outer Perimeter of the Hudson residence_

Amanda Bronson rushed silently through the night, her steps crunching softly in the spread of fallen leaves. She carried her Graal Spike Thrower cradling it in her hand, the squad rushing behind her as she made her way through the forest around the home of the target.

This was her fourth mission, taking out an ambassador and a couple of senators who were beginning to raise questions on some of Soren's mostly secret activities. And now for Hudson, he was public enemy number 2; he was deemed to be more of a threat then an asset for the current government. A reactionary who needed to be silent if humanity hoped to build a new world for itself after the Reaper war. A world of peace and security.

Bronson knew this, and shared in her agreement with the objectives, but ultimately she was just here to do a job, someone said Hudson was a threat, so he was a threat.

Her squad was there to support her and her sniper as they moved in for the kill, or in the event that they failed to storm the compound then kill the Prime Minister that way.

The trees were thick, the night was deep, and their target was somewhere through the trees. They were starting to clear as they were reaching the edge of the forest.

"Alright, set up," She ordered to the sniper.

She got on the scope and looked through the sights scanning the perimeter of the house…and saw a light on in the top room of the household. She smirked behind the scope, _look at the unsuspecting idiot, just out enjoying the night are you?_

"Alright, get ready." She remarked off hand for the sniper next to her.

_The Hudson House_

"Sir, you need to get away from the window."

He sighed at the pronouncement from his unofficial 'guard'. One of Shepard's former crew and former mercenary, _the universe makes strange bedfellows doesn't it?_ "Cynthia, if I am going to be assassinated I am going to be assassinated, you can't really stop it can you?"

"We can at least delay it."

He shrugged, "I don't fear for my life, not anymore, if something is going to happen I am damned if I am going to let it control my life."

"Fine," Cynthia said, Hudson saw her cross her arms over her chest.

He smiled gently enjoying his bourbon.

_Kodiak Shuttle_

Abigail Shepard watched through the open side compartment of the shuttle as it silently shifted over the forest floor below. After dropping the team off on the ground she decided to do a self-check on the perimeter, looking for anyone who could be a threat. The pitch darkness certainly didn't help.

'Heads up Captain!" Cortez reported in the cockpit, "We've got life signs down there!"

"Where?!" Abby swiveled around to look at the pilot.

"Right around the perimeter on the edge, they got a clear line to the Hudson house hold!"

Abigail's eyes widened, knowing exactly where Hudson was standing right now.

"Cynthia, get Hudson out of there you have shooters in the trees! Ashley, Cameron, heads up, on your feet people."

She turned to Garrus, "Get ready!...Cortez put us on the deck!"

"Right away."

_The Hudson House_.

Cynthia heard the warning blare out in her com link and leapt to motion, she reached for Hudson springing forward and dragging him down as a shot rang through the air, slamming into the plate glass windows he was standing behind, and shattering them dramatically.

Using her body to cover the former Prime Minister she got her Black Widow off her back port and fired down into the night, towards the general direction of where she thought the shots was coming from.

_The Perimeter_

Amanda Bronson's smile dissolved into a scowl, the assassination had failed someone had wrenched Hudson out of the sight picture as her sniper had fired, saving his life. Then before she could reacquire a Kodiak swooped in low over the trees heading for the landing pad. Matters continued to complicate as three shots from the house slammed through the trees and the dirt around them, forcing them to duck for cover.

_So they have a sniper up there and it looks like Shepard has arrived…good maybe we can get all of them_.

Before she could follow through on the idea though, she heard crunching off to her side.

…

Cameron Shepard rushed through the trees where the shots came from, following his new squad leader Ashley Williams…_damn it's going to take me a while getting used to that idea_, but that was not anything new about his current situation.

After all everyone in this universe was the same, though slightly different. He was a she, Ashley was now commanding the _Normandy_…like in his universe, but he still had to get used to the idea of actually _serving_ under her. And apparently Shepard had taken in a mercenary soldier into her crew and used her to bring down a vile criminal conspiracy.

_It is certainly a lot to get used to_.

The Black Widow shots had rung out and Ashley led the squad in the general direction they came from. Cameron followed on the left leaving Paul to cover the right.

_There!_ He saw someone dash just up ahead of him, he crouched down and deployed the Revenant. He heard Ashley's Harrier go to life next to him in the distance. _We're spread out,_ He cursed. Probably trying to make sure they got the people responsible for the assassination attempt.

But that was no longer important, what was done was done, as Shepard tried to require his target through the pitch blackness that had descended on the forest. His head swiveled back and forth down one side of the vicinity he saw his target in last, and then down the other side then back down…_wait_, he rotated his head back through and saw the barrel of a rifle sticking out around the cover.

"We've got targets." He said into the com link.

Before hearing the response he rushed forward, and charged, fazing through the tree and slamming into the man on the other side. He grabbed the target around the neck and slammed him down knocking him cold.

Out of the corner of his eye someone else popped up out of the darkness waving a Typhoon around. He fired spraying the rapid fire bullets at the targets behind him.

Cameron sprang forward, charging again, slamming into his gut. The target swiveled the Typhoon down and around on Cameron's back.

The Vanguard beat him to it flinging himself into a Nova, which launched his opponent into the air, and slammed him into a tree. He slid down its trunk and twitched into unconscious.

His Revenant came up and he sprayed down two more targets, the blaze of fire shooting out in the night, slamming into their chests draining their shields and slamming into their armor.

Ashley came up next to him firing her Harrier into the group of targets, as the rest began to retreat.

Cameron and her traded a look and he was about to say something pithy on victory, but another Kodiak flew in over the forest.

"Shepard, heads up, you have someone coming in for you."

"Lots of people it looks like." Cameron muttered gesturing into the forest.

As they saw a large group of people rush out of the forest.

_The Hudson residence_

Abigail heard the message and sighed.

"Nice to see you too Abigail." Hudson greeted coming into the room at her.

She smirked, "Not you, the situation just got a lot more precarious and we need to get a move on, but we have to lead them into an ambush because I am willing to bet they brought heavy weapons with them."

"So what's the plan?" Hudson asked.

"Draw them in, and kick their ass." James stated coming into the room with his Harrier wrapped across his chest.

"Basically." Abby agreed.

She rushed to the window and deployed her Black Widow, looking through the scope she watched the rest of the enemy force come in. Rapid fire flashes dotted one side of the forest as Ashley must have been engaging the enemy on the other side.

She went into Adrenaline Rush and lined up her first shot. She fired and the path of the bullet intersected perfectly with the targets head. He fell. She swiveled around and fired a second bullet making a second head shot; a third victim joined the pile. She figured that was all she had time for as she switched the Black Widow out for her Valkyrie, her brand new modified Valkyrie.

She popped off a grenade at one of the staircases coming up into the Hudson house hold, it exploded in the center of the group and took them out.

"Alright where is the best way to get up here?" She asked the former Prime Minister stalking over to him.

"This way." He said.

She followed him out the door and down a flight of stairs, then to the left and down another top of the pavilions overlooking…

"Seriously?" She asked turning to the man.

He shrugged, "They were my mother's and my ex-wife wanted to keep them. I was thinking of getting rid of them but well then I went to public office for the first time and several other things happened in rapid order."

_They_ were a display room full of glass sculptures. Ducks, Eagles, some fat looking guy with a smile on his face, an assortment of clear crystal glass…_artwork_, of various shapes and sizes. They were mounted on pedestals made out of wood, and glass.

"You don't mind?"

"Well I would rather sell them," A smirk played across his face, "but if you insist then yes make all the mess you want out of the place."

"Good." Abigail went down the stairs, James and Vega stayed on the top, _good men_.

"Alright, James there, Garrus there," She pointed at the two places she wanted her sharp shooters. "I will be down here helping establish the triangular fire."

"Will do Shepard," Garrus grunted.

She nodded her mind racing, a peal of lightning interrupting her thought process, the rain started to tap against the glass windows. She frowned but couldn't help but think, _this should make my job easier_.

The alarm went off and she heard a curse and the crunching of breaking glass in the room beyond the hall of glass, these people were not professional soldiers, _concerning_, she thought but didn't have time to worry about it.

She got behind the doorway arch and leaned against it, making sure her head was covered from the ornate glass window over her head. Captain Shepard calmly made the rest of her preparations under another peel of lightning, placing the flash bangs out of its bag and calmly prepping them. She then made sure her Valkyrie was prepped and ready to go.

As the lightning finished rolling through the air plunging the world into darkness, she heard the first soldier enter the room. Glancing above her cover she noticed him sweep the room clear, and move on in. The next two soldiers quickly followed and mimicked the movements of the leader.

She turned back to her work double checking the arming mechanism on the pair of grenades and took five deep breaths, after the fifth she unleashed them rolling them down the hallway.

The person looked up startled at their appearance, and she ripped her head around the corner and covered it as the grenades exploded in front of them.

They knocked back shielding their eyes and dropping their guns to their sides, the sensors in their eye night vision display not able to keep track of the roller coaster of sensory input knocking through their senses.

Abigail brought the Valkyrie up and unleashed a torrent of bullets slamming into her target and knocking him down.

James and Garrus's weapons broke into action on top of them continuing to eviscerate the targets.

But the bullets from Garrus's Phaeston over shot the target slightly slamming into the pottery above them and around them.

"Hey Vakarian, you forgotten how to shoot?" She teased over the com link.

"Nah," He said humbly, "Just making them feel better about them for walking into an ambush."

She frowned, "Well kill them please."

And sure enough the next burst slammed into its target knocking him into yet another glass sculpture. Shepard's frown only deepened.

The enemy rushed forward, emboldened now that they were in the thick of things, rushing recklessly into the gates of their ambush. But Shepard had to swap out her spent thermal clip for a new one, taking her off the firing line.

The leader of the new group whipped out a Scorpion and pointed it at the over watch, he pulled the trigger five times, launching five blue orbs into it, they exploded dramatically causing a gout of no small flame to rush from the top.

"James!" She yelled into the com link before taking down the potential killer.

She heard coughing on the line, "Relax, you worried about me Lola?"

"Nah," She squeezed the trigger sending two more rounds into the soldier on the right of the doorway across the hall, "I was just concerned about the," Another burst into the gut of the man taking cover across from him, "armor."

She finished off by launching a grenade down the hallway finishing off anyone else who might have been waiting there.

"Uh huh." James grunted.

She waited for a second, trading the thermal clips out again so she had a fresh clip in the chamber. And then…nothing happened. Satisfied she began to get up and lean around the corner gloating, thinking they were likely done, but a spike of alarm ran through her. _This was too easy; I wonder what the hell is going on here…in chess only the pawns go first_.

"Is it over?" Hudson asked.

"No, get down; in fact, Garrus take him out of here, hold on!"

_It made perfect sense_.

A white blue burst of energy whumped down the center aisle of the glass museum knocking into the pillars and spilling their contents onto the floor causing them to shatter.

Abigail dove behind the door as the wave hit the window above her causing it to smash and shatter, spilling the glass on top of her.

She glanced back up over the now destroyed window and a man was walking towards her slowly, smoothly, sword in hand, and pistol on the belt marching to her.

She snapped off five quick bursts at him, the man arched into a cartwheel to the left and her bullets went sailing past him, but it kept him busy. The Spectre used the opportunity to retreat rushing up the stairs in a full gain, hoping against hope that Cortez had picked up the second team and would be waiting for her.

Crossing the room where she had run into the former politician and quickly ran through the door onto the pad roof, and the….lack of a Kodiak shuttle.

"Cortez where the hell are you?!" Shepard yelled into her Omni-tool.

"Sorry took some fire at the LZ and had to pull off for a second, but I got the team 2 out and am coming to you."

She heard the door slam open behind her…

"ETA about a couple of seconds," Cortez finished.

Abigail turned around and saw the man come out of the room, and another peel of lightning highlighted his face.

_Nathan?_ She asked shocked, one of her team leaders on the Special Forces mission.

"Acknowledged Cortez," She said into her Omni-tool and yelled over her shoulder, "Keep the Prime Minister secure no matter the cost!" She yelled. "I will buy you time."

"Lola you sure?" James asked.

"Just do what I say Vega Hudson does not die!" She did not wait for an acknowledgement as she rushed forward with her Valkyrie in hand.

Nathan Burke put his head down, twirled his sword down, and also ran expertly over the wet roof. _I feel like my feet are about to come out from under me_, but she continued on and deployed her Valkyrie again, getting ready.

The Special Forces soldier before her launched into the air, waving the sword around, and launching another blast. It was too late for Abigail to avoid the blast so she braced herself as it slammed into her, stopping her, breaking her back as her shield generator gave out under the assault. But she had no time to get them back and had to ignore it.

She fired her grenade launcher at his feet and Nathan ran through the explosion, his shields flared and failed, but he moved in.

The vanguard waved his arm around and brought the sword up to bash it down on the Captain. She raised her Valkyrie up knocking the sword back, and she raised it up to block the second blow coming down to slash her from head to toe.

Abigail leapt back, keeping the Valkyrie in a defensive posture, considering she was still well within reach of Nathan's swing. Nathan twirled the sword again and came in, stepping in swinging the sword from the hip. Abby slammed the Valkyrie across the blow parrying it easily to one side, and the sword came up in the other. The Spectre slammed it across and forced it out of her way, she looked for an opening, hoping to bring the Valkyrie up into the head, but Nathan was far too quick for her.

He slammed the sharp edge of his sword across the Valkyrie and slashed it apart at the seams, ripping through the metal bindings and cutting the weapon in half, one falling harmlessly to the ground while the stock stayed obediently in her hand.

Her opponent smiled smugly at her as she tossed the rest of the weapon aside. _That was James's gift to me…you'll pay for that you ass_.

She heard James grunt behind her and heard him rush forward, she held her hand out palm forward while staring Nathan down, and James stopped. They had only one job, and that was to stop Nathan if she failed.

Deploying her Omni-blade and getting out her knife in her hip holster she twirled it around and got into a defensive posture holding the tool pointing at Nathan, the orange blaze of light sizzling in the rain, her armor dripping with water, the knife pointed out towards the air.

Nathan took the challenge and charged at her, swinging the sword in a sweeping arc, coming at her waist. She brought the tool around in a blaze of light parrying the blow out of the way with a metal snap and crackle.

The sword came up as Nathan twirled in the air, Abigail quickly brought her hands up in an X catching the blade between knife and Omni-blade, Nathan pushed down and Abigail grunted under the pressure, her hair soaking now with a mingle of sweat and rain.

She desperately looked for a way to get the monster off of her, and looked down, she slammed her foot into Nathan's ankle causing him to gasp and stumble, she pushed off on him and rolled backwards, slashing out with her blade aiming for his head closer to the now waiting Kodiak, _waiting for me_. She looked up at Nathan and saw him gratefully bleeding.

Her opponent did not give her the time or the space to move, he came on stronger again, slamming his hand into the side of her head nearly knocking her silly, and then knocking the sword into her arm causing her to drop the knife.

The whirlwind continued, never relenting as Nathan knocked into her. She tried to rebound holding her Omni-blade up, trying to knock it down into Nathan's head, but he intercepted her hand and with his, pinning her there, then in a blur of motion turned around to where his back was facing her front….

She instinctively maneuvered to the side giving her precious wiggle room…

But the blade came in and slashed through her, her eyes widened with the sudden burst of flame slamming through her entire body, but quickly numbing her. She felt her eyes close, the world going into a blur of dark colors, she fell to her knees, tried to breathe, her breath came hard…and she fell sprawling on the concrete roof of the Hudson house, her hair spilling below her, her vision blurry.

All she heard was a signal distinct "Abigail!" Through the night.

…

James Vega knew what she had done, knew why she had done it, but he could not bring himself to give the order. Even though it was not his responsibility, everyone seemed to wait for him to make a decision.

But he could not do it, his heritage, his DNA, the very fiber of his being screamed for him to not do what he had to do…what the woman _wanted_ him to do.

And now he couldn't, not anymore, not as he saw her fall limply, the ground turning a shocking red as she laid there.

He heard his voice cry out for her, felt his weapon come up, but he was not conscious, all it was simple instinct, ingrained actions, love and duty performing in a semi perfect, but mostly disordered manner to protect the woman he loved.

The Harrier shook in his hand, the dull report of the weapon knocking back to him. He felt Garrus and maybe Cameron open fire next to him. Abigail's…_Assassin? No we don't know that yet_.

But regardless the man took the first couple of bullets and grunted, he held his arm up making a biotic field, but he quickly retreated flipping over the side of the building.

_No longer a threat_, James grunted to himself, quickly moving on the thought to secure the fallen Captain.

"Garrus!" He rushed forward, his hair a soaking mess.

The Turian rushed forward with him picking up on his intention, they reached their fallen friend, and lover, and glanced at each other. He picked her limp…_body?_...up under the armpit and the Turian grabbed the other as they heaved her towards the shuttle.

The sound of an opening door made him shoot his head around; more soldiers were coming up the stairwell, waving their assault rifles and SMGs.

"Cameron!" He yelled out.

The other Shepard marched forward toting his Revenant and laced a blaze of fire into the night, forcing the other soldiers to take cover and knocking the first two down.

Vega rushed onto the shuttle heaving Abigail up, laid down a burst, as Cortez pulled into orbit, the enemy leaving a trail of fire behind them.

"Abigail!" He yelled again reaching for her, his hand moved to her neck after a seconds pause, "Still alive," He remarked taking one moments breath.

"But she is not going to stay that way long Lieutenant!" Ashley said.

James nodded at her. The second human Spectre's Omni-tool blazed out, and she waved it over Captain Shepard, applying medi-gel.

"What the?" Ashley's eyes widened.

"What? What is it?" Vega hissed trying to keep his voice calm.

"It's not working, the bleeding won't stop!"

"What, what do we do?" James looked around.

"Hold the wound," Ashley said her hand also reaching for it, "Here Cameron help us get her out of her armor!"

Expertly the three separate hands descended on Shepard's armor, trying to strip it off, piece by piece, racing to all the release points and all the seams, slowly it came off and they tossed the armor aside manically. They then went back to it, grabbing at her under vest and trying to hold down to her abdomen.

Ashley reached up with a bloody hand for the side of the shuttle and pressed down on the com button. "Team to _Normandy_, get Chakwas on the line!"

"What is it Commander?" Chakwas's voice drifted over the com as her small face appeared in the screen.

"Doctor prepare the sick bay we have casualties incoming!"

"Who is it?" She said sounding fearful and somewhat annoyed.

Ashley and James traded a look, both of them still trying to claw at Shepard's wound.

"It's Shepard."

Chakwas paused for a second, "I will prepare the infirmary."


	10. Chapter 10

_Normandy-Deck 3_

Cameron Shepard watched the litter carrying the form of Captain Shepard out of the elevator and around the corner; he took off in hot pursuit as well as James Vega and Garrus. An IV drip was connected to her pumping vital life sustaining liquids into her.

She was rushed into the med bay, and Chawas turned to face them and held up her hand.

"I'm sorry I can't let you in there."

James peered around the corner and grunted. "I know that, but…what was that all about? The medi-gel wouldn't work." James asked groping around for words.

"Preliminary scans reveal that the sword was coated in a medi-gel suppressant." Chakways reported.

"A what?" James asked.

"We don't know Lieutenant Commander," Chakwas frowned, "but we are not doing any good out here."

He sighed, "Alright just save her Doc."

"I intend to," Chakwas clipped before spinning on her heals and heading into the infirmary.

Cameron looked at the young Special Forces officer scoping around, putting his hand on his hips, and shaking his head.

The Paragon Vanguard didn't know what to say to the young man, he knew what the man was going through. His life was not the ideal of romance and relationships. First he was here, away from Miranda, and then in the past he died leaving Ashley alone for a time.

"Chakwas is one of the best, if anyone can save her I am sure she will." Cameron finally assured him.

"Yeah I know that," Vega shrugged, "but she 'retired' to get away from this stuff. It's why she decided to leave the front lines and take on a desk job."

"But then she came out here and then got hurt again." Cameron stated understanding.

"Exactly, just seems we can't get enough…almost like the universe is saying 'stay away don't do this'."

Cameron shrugged, "We all have a purpose, at least in some sense of the word. She is out here for a reason, and better to die out here fighting then trapped like a rat."

James smirked, "That sounds a lot like her."

"We do have _some_ things in common, Vega."

"Well, as long as it's not a taste for my-"

Cameron cleared his throat loudly before heading onto the elevator, moving to check in with Ashley.

The elevator moved as slowly as usual, even slower it would seem in the crisis that it moved even slower…as usual. The door opened before him and revealed Ashley leaning against the Galaxy Map, it off, with her hands folded into one another and her head bowed on it.

"Commander," he said walking up to her, but he got no response. "Ash?" He responded placing an arm on her shoulder.

The woman twitched under his touch and looked up at him, "Cameron?"

He nodded.

She smiled, "We haven't had much time to talk since you came aboard."

He grunted, "And we still don't have time."

"Yeah," She looked around blearily, "uh…"

"Do you want me to take command?" Cameron asked suddenly, the thought bursting out of his mouth before he could realize the implications.

She wrenched her arm away from him and yelled at him, "This is my command Cameron!"

"I know that Ash and I respect that, but come on we have been back for five minutes and you already haven't given the order to get out of the system?"

Her eyes widened and she looked at Joker's station, then back to him. "Well…no."

"Then let me take command, just for a minute, we can get her out of here and find some place safe."

"Do you really think anywhere is going to be safe? After all we've seen?" Ashley questioned.

"We have to try."

"Where do you suggest?" Ashley continued to challenge.

"I don't know, but I know as soon as our stealth systems fail we will be seen for anyone who has the most simplest of scanners within fifty thousand kilometers. We can blend into the outer perimeter of a star system, hide in the spaces between star systems, lay low until we can find out a plan and discover exactly how bad the situation is."

Ashley nodded, "Alright…you have the CIC…I am going to go check on Commander Shepard."

He nodded, and turned to the Galaxy Map, "Joker,"

"Yeah, and who the hell are you?"

"Commander Shepard." He announced.

"Right, so where is Ashley?"

"She left me in charge for the moment until we can get our feet back under us again."

"Yeah, right."

"It's true Joker, as much as I hate to say it Commander Williams left the CIC in Cameron's hands until she gets back." Traynor said glancing up at Cameron.

Cameron nodded his thanks to Traynor, the Lieutenant…_Lieutenant?_ Shrugged back at him.

"Alright, just pick a destination and I will try and get us there."

Cameron bit his lip thinking, going all the way through the many systems in the Galaxy Map sifting through it, flipping the systems. Finally, he found what he was looking for.

"Joker, set a course for the edge of the Exodus Cluster, vent the drive core, then reengage stealth mode."

"Right away."

The _Normandy_ hummed to life and they headed out for the Exodus.

_Three Days Later-Deck Three_

James Vega paced around the mess hall, with the entire squad gathered around the tables in the Mess Hall.

James stopped and glanced over at Cameron, _even the new comer._

He sighed, "I wonder what's taking so long."

"Relax, Chakwas said she would have news for us when she had news for us. She said she was done with the surgery and just needed to run a few more tests on her." Ashley grunted.

James grunted back at her and glanced at the darkened medical bay, he was longing to see her or hear any number of information on the Captain's condition. _And to think we have survived hundreds of missions up until now, now one event, and everything could come apart at the seams, and I was so looking forward to a semi-retirement_

Abigail's Cat meowed suddenly breaking through the thought train and Cynthia reached down to scratch him behind the ears.

"Oh by the way," He grunted, "welcome back Cynthia."

"Thank you James….real fun." Cynthia muttered shrugging, her eyes darting at the medical compound.

The crew descended into silence, just the humming of the _Normandy's_ electrical systems pulsing in the background, the engines rhythmically muttering through the floor boards. With the ship relatively stationary the engines weren't roaring, but even so, James's hypersensitive and focused senses could feel the ship pulsing beneath him.

"So…what does everyone think about what has been going on? Has anyone heard anything?" Paul asked.

"Very little, since the coup attempts around the Galaxy they seem to be…consolidating their forces."

"Coup attempts?" Vega asked.

Miranda nodded slowly, biting her lip, "Yeah apparently the Asari Government has also gone through a 'clean up' of late. They have purged several Matriarchs and other officials. And a warrant has been put out for Liara T'soni."

"Great," James harrumphed.

"It might not mean they succeeded," Miranda assured, "someone might have gotten out and is attempting to restore order. Also the Salarians do seem to be holding onto their sanity."

Ashley snorted, "With Dalatrass Linron they are probably already in the bag."

"I don't know," Paul grumbled, "I mean just because we don't like her doesn't mean she will juts hand her Government over to a foreign entity."

"She might not have a choice." Cynthia pointed out.

"Probably not," Paul declared, "But isn't that the point? If they have to take it from her does not mean she is with the devils, at least not on this one."

"You suggesting she could be an alley?" James asked.

"I doubt it," Cynthia snorted.

Her boyfriend shot her a look. "What?" She frowned "Oh for crying out, if they are really, for the moment, free from control but the Leviathans want the Citadel Races in their pocket then they will be the first targets on their list. And anyone else who is 'free'."

"She's right." Ashley concurred her voice souring.

"So what do we do?" James started, "after all I imagine we aren't the most popular people."

"Fine somewhere to lay low and survive." Cameron shrugged.

"And where do we do that?" Ashley asked.

Before she could get a response from the other Shepard the door to medical bay opened, James turned his head, followed by the rest of the group moving to look at the elder Doctor. The woman looked weary and forlorn, but overall no worse for the wear.

"Doc?" James asked.

"She'll live." Chakwas started.

The room let out a collective sigh of relief. But James picked up on something in her posture.

"But?"

"I can't tell if she will make a complete recovery. She'll live certainly, the blade missed her vital organs, but right now she still has taken a lot of cell an cartilage damage. If the blade nicked her at all in any of the vitals, she'd probably be dead by now."

James frowned at the pronouncement, his mind racing; _she did twitch at the last minute_.

"Can we go see her?" Ashley asked.

_Damn, that's my job_.

"She needs her rest," Chakwas grunted emphatically.

"You're the doc, doc." James grunted.

"So…what was that blade anyways?" Ashley asked now that they had the Doctor's complete attention.

Chakwas bit her lip and thought about it for a minute, "Basically it is Alliance R&D, very specific technology which has been in development for a few months. It acts as a kinda neural destroyer, taking out cells and preventing easy applications of medi-gel to heal it. Though it is genetically engineered on the same lines as medi-gel applications."

"Wonderful." James grunted.

"Is there a lot of the stuff?" Cynthia asked curious.

"Enough," Chakwas mumbled frowning, "now if you'll excuse me it's been a long night and I really should be attending back to my duties."

"Night Doc," James grunted at Chakwas's already retreating form.

_Now sleep, that sounds like a good idea, we can deal with this crisis in the morning_…James yawned, stretched, and headed for his office/ quarters.


	11. Chapter 11

_Archturus-Prime Ministers Chamber_

Barry Soren sat behind his desk going through the files of 'paper work' and data that was streaming through his office computer. In other words things were going good for the Galaxy. _Or at least my plans for the Galaxy_, he smirked to himself, _it all sounds so cut throat and muhahaha_.

The coup was going well, the Salarian Union was about to fall in line and the rest of the Council Governments were already towing the party line. Which left the disparate Terminus Systems, and some of the non-aligned parts of the Galaxy, to worry about. The Batarians, who were a rather concerning, loss, the Krogan, the Quarians, the Geth…but against the weight of the entire Galaxy? Soren didn't overestimate their chances.

The main problem facing his mind was that Abigail Shepard and Cynthia Jackson had managed to rescue Hudson from the clutches of Hudson's and Bronson's team.

"Prime Minister," His desk chimed at him, "The meeting is about to start for the other Council Governments, and your shuttle is fueled and ready to go."

"Thanks Emma." He grunted into the speaker, before activating his holo display, the other Council Government officials came up in miniature on his table.

"Good afternoon Councilors, and fellow delegates, and how are things in your part of the Galaxy today?" Soren grinned at the assembled group of people.

"Pretty well, things are moving at pace." The Turian Primarch mumbled groggily.

_Going to have to keep my eye on that one,_ Soren thought.

"Thessia is almost secure, and so are some of the outer colonies. We may have some trouble with Illium but overall the Thessian labor board is striking due to the arranged work stoppages which are allowing our forces to secure the planet and remove any trace of dissidents." The newest Asari Matriarch purred over her comlink.

"And what about the Salarians?" The Prime Minister inquired of the assembled delegates.

They glanced at each other through the display board of the holo gram.

The Turian cleared his throat, "We have elite shock forces moving in on the Salarian STG…but for the moment they have defeated us…we need more time, but fortunately it looks as though we still have agents both near the Dalatrass and within the STG."

Soren sighed, "Any chance we can get a sphere close to her?"

"Not without the Salarians noticing the situation and eliminating our operatives, we need more time."

As the Turian was explaining the situation Nathan Burke entered the room, the door closing in his wake. Soren waved to him and held up his palm, hoping the gesture didn't attract any attention from the people who were on the conference call.

"And what about Shepard?" Soren asked turning to face the assembled group.

"Shepard?" Primarch Victus blinked. "Abigail Shepard?"

"She escaped, or at the least her crew did, they are the unknown here and they need to be dealt with." Soren uttered.

The Asari groused, "She is a Spectre, an N7 operative, well trained, and well disciplined…"

"Thank you for the complete bio that we are all aware of." Soren sneared.

She sneered back, "OK try this one on for size…she is popular…people listen to her. And while she has never had an interest in politics beyond her actions in the Reaper war if she were to use that power…"

"Which is why we need to figure out a way to deal with her."

"What do you suggest?"

He laid out his plan quickly and was met with every increasing nods of agreement at his pronouncements, when he was done, they vowed to make their own plans and get their own things done, and disappeared to achieve them.

Soren eyed Nathan as he got up.

"You sure she's alive?" Soren asked the Special Forces Operative.

"Well," the man scratched at his neck, "I did get her pretty good, but she's…"

"Yeah I know," Soren frowned, "Shepard. And so they got her to the shuttle and you just let them, along with the former Prime Minister?"

"It was that or die." Burke gestured emphatically.

"I know, I know I am not blaming you, just frustrating, that the one thing that could stop our plans got through our fingers nearly unscathed." He sighed turning to the view port.

"What do you think of my plan?" Soren asks turning to him.

"Bold," Burke mused, "but boldness is required if we are too complete the capture of Abigail Shepard."

Soren nodded, "Thank you, go wait for me on the shuttle."

_Normandy-med bay_

Abigail groaned as she tried to sit up in her bed after her surgery, she rubbed the side of her stomach where there was a nice new scar to join the small assortment of little nicks she had accumulated over the years. Her stomach was showing good given that she was in a thick hospital bra like thing.

"Oooh Lola, another battle trophy?" She heard, and started.

She glanced up at her husband, "James," She grunted trying to sit up even more, wincing all the way, "not funny…" Abby smirked, "may all of our scars be internal emotional things."

"Amen to that." James nodded gravely.

"So how are things while since I went MIA? Chakwas hasn't seen fit to give me any news." The former Spectre said by way of explanation, _given that I am now opposed to the governments that have given me that position_.

"You are _supposed _to be recovering and on restricted duty." Chakwas grunted over in the corner.

Abigail harrumphed.

"Well, we have taken position on the edge of the system where Eden Prime is. Away from Alliance sensor nets lost in the universal background noise, and with the stealth system engaged." James started to explain.

"Very good."

"And, Miranda is trying to get the information from any Alliance or Citadel data streams on the situation through the rest of the Galaxy."

"And?" Abigail pressed.

"And, it's not good, according to her sources they are already starting to move on the Salarian Union, and the rest of the Citadel Governments are making more moves slowly behind the scenes to seize control of the ExtraNet, the health care industry, and a few other places. With Soren's extracurricular activities there is no one in the Alliance who has caught on yet."

Abby groused, "Come on there has to be someone who has noticed something going on."

"If they have they are being quiet about it, but Miranda is guessing they are about to make their move…" Off of her look, "I guess they are doing a press conference in a few moments, one can guess what they are going to be talking about…"

"I agree," Abigail nodded trying to get up.

"Shepard!" Chakwas chastised stepping forward.

"Doc, relax, I am just going to walk to where they will be screening the press conference," Abigail said holding her off and glancing at James.

"Actually there is a crowd gathering in the mess hall, Miranda is tuning it in as we speak."

"Excellent," She grunted through her pain as she began to limp out of the med bay and around the corner, favoring her side.

It took her nearly a minute to get into the mess hall. James shadowing her all the way, his hand hovering over her back. _Making sure your Captain doesn't trip and all and make a oaf of herself, smooth Lieutenant Commander_.

But she managed, turning the corner and saw the group of people that had assembled for this auspicious occasion. Mainly her entire former squad, who was still alive and on the _Normandy_ and any of the senior staff that, had chosen to get up and get their butts moving on.

Some of them turned at her presence, Miranda, Ashley, and Joker.

"Shepard!" Ashley grinned getting up.

Miranda just grinned a bit seeing her up.

"Hey Comma…I mean Captain." Joker grunted.

The 'Captain' grinned and waved them all down, "Please, thank you, but no fuss please, I am just here to see what our lord and masters have to say for themselves." She glanced around the room and her nose hairs began to percolate. "Is that _popcorn_, I smell?"

Traynor grabbed the popcorn dish and waved it around.

"Now Traynor," Abby smirked with a teasing tone, "this is a press conference of daring due, not a _movie_.

"Sorry Captain," The communications specialist replied in kind.

"Shush it's about to start!" Miranda yelped behind them joining in on the fun.

The Special Forces Captain chose to sit down, Cameron glanced at her, they nodded at one another quickly, and James glanced between them sitting down at Abby's opposite side.

The picture screen crackled before them as it flashed white with a black spot racing across it.

"Seriously Miranda?" Abby said glancing at the perfect woman.

The Operative shrugged a shoulder at her Captain and munched on a single popcorn kernel.

"Pass it over."

Traynor did so and gave her the bowl, Abby took it and plucked a reasonable hand full from it and offered some to James and Cameron.

The picture finally settled down, revealing a picture of the Presidium outside of the elevator to the Citadel Tower where the Council met. A microphone was set up behind a podium, all for show, and a reasonably attractive Asari stood there.

_All for show,_ Abby frowned taking in the form fitting cat suit with cut outs in all the right places, _well if that didn't get people's attention around the Galaxy her outfit would_ .

"Ladies and gentlemen," She spoke finally nodding her head, "assembled delegates, the Prime Minister of the Systems Alliance…Soren." She nodded and bowed out of the picture.

Barry Soren mounted the podium looked around, took a drink of water, composed himself, then opened his mouth and speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, assembled Asari and others across the Galaxy. I bring you grave news." He paused to let the notion sink in. "Recently the Citadel Governments led by the Systems Alliance Special Forces, the N7 branch, the Turian Armalir division, and Asari Commando service has recently broken up and neutralized an anti-Government conspiracy that threatened the very heart of the Citadel itself."

Abigail frowned as he took a moment to collect himself in.

"And while the immediate crisis has passed for the moment we were not completely successful in rounding up the conspirators. Mainly Daniel Hudson, bitter opposition for losing the vote, and Abigail Shepard who has been advocating and agitating a restoration of the benefits that needed to be slashed from the Veterans retirement fund. These cuts however have been necessary because in the post Reaper War we all need to make sacrifices, but rest assured the Government is working address all the grievances, even the ones of terrorists." Soren finished bluntly.

"What?!" The object of his accusations felt her jaw nearly hit the floor.

The crowd on the screen grumbled like wise.

"We have proof, a recent video that the Captain released before trying to attack a Government compound."

A holographic version of herself appeared behind the Prime Minister, her face was severe, and the real life doppelganger looked at the screen in puzzlement.

"To Prime Minister Hudson," Her voice said shrilly, "If we do not get an immediate redress and restoration of the military rights, that the Alliance Government has promised for years, then I will feel compelled to join with Daniel Hudson and take dramatic action to address and fix the situation!"

"WHAT?!" The Captain shouted making Cameron jump.

The crowd murmured over the screen.

"To that effect!" Soren shouted over the tumult gaining in the room.

"To that effect," He repeated when it died down, "The Citadel council has agreed to form a multi species, independent team to track the criminals down to the end of the Galaxy. This group will be led by Nathan Burke, an Alliance N7 operative, and commiserate with the responsibilities, the power, and tradition, the third human Spectre, since he is hunting down not one, but two rogue Spectre's."

As he was speaking Nathan led a small precession of troops out of the Ward access tunnel.

"Well that's brilliant." Miranda said behind Shepard sounding legitimately impressed.

"Why?" Cameron asked turning to her, Abby turned to him and saw him frown in recognition.

"Well…it's us."

"Oh…crap." Cameron grunted turning back to the screen.

So did Shepard, and Nathan's 'team' was now out there. He had two humans with him, the woman looked familiar…_the woman who attacked the Hudson compound…_A Turian, an Asari, a Krogan and a Batarian.

_Miranda's right_.

"And now, Admiral Jameson to discuss the official position of the Alliance Military." Soren gestured to the side.

Abby felt her eye arch up as Jameson, in her dress blues rounded the corner. She looked stiff, _stiffer than usual_.

She cleared her throat, "It is not the position of the Alliance military to conduct terrorist operations against the elected Government of the people of the Alliance. We live in a Democracy with elected officials, and though we may disagree with their actions it is the responsibility of every citizen to engage in the democratic process and to go through the system to redress their grievances, and _not_ abort or impose their will on the system just because they do not get their way, that is why we are creating this team, that is why the former Spectre must be brought to justice!"

Abigail felt her eye twitch as she just barely restrained whacking her head with the palm of her hand.

Soren mounted the podium nodding graciously"They are the finest Special Forces, intelligence, and mercenary operatives from across the Galaxy; they will bring the criminals to justice, or die trying! And they will succeed because they have the entire Citadel united behind them to deal with this threat! May God and the deities watch over us!"

_Nice touch_, Abigail conceded cocking her head to the side.

He began to leave the podium taking the group with him as they left.

"Mr. Soren Mr. Soren! Commander Burke!" The press shouted after them.

But they fell on deft ears.

Shepard went back to stewing, "Conference room five minutes!" She grunted getting up. "Traynor, see if you can get a hold of Liara."

"Right away." The Communications specialist yelped as they all scrambled to get briefing notes together for their Captain.

_War Room_

Captain Abigail Shepard limped into the War Room, scowling, six minutes later; the crew was waiting patiently for her. She shuddered as she completed the march down the steps. The crew had gathered standing around the central table, and Liara was there, in hologram, standing next to Traynor who was probably trying to manipulate the communication controls.

"Liara, good to see you again." Abigail nodded smiling.

"Indeed, good to be seen."

Something in that piqued Abigail's curiosity so she inclined her head and asked, "What has been happening?"

"Well, I had intelligence they were coming for me-"

"You had intelligence this was going to happen?" Abigail cut her off.

Liara sighed, "It was mere hours before the coup was supposed to begin and I had to evacuate all my files off planet and the rest of my equipment. My curiosity was piqued when a powerful Matriarch had orders from the Asari Government to evacuate my charity organizations off of Thessia. Apparently our services were no longer needed. Suspicious I did some back ground checking, and apparently I was doing too good a job, and was too hard to control. I took the hint that something was going on and left Thessia quickly."

"And now you're set up?" Abby pressed.

"Basically, just a couple of hours ago, had to make sure no one was on my tail and I could risk it, getting set up again."

"Good of you to make it…status?" She turned to the rest of the room. "Just what was the whole military benefits thing about?"

Miranda started, "Well part of his program is to transfer funds out of the retired pension and health care fun to 'vital projects' throughout the Alliance."

"First I'm hearing of this," Abigail shook her head astonished, "is the man insane? That would cause…" She struggled for the proper words.

"Which," Miranda filled in, "Is probably why they used it to set you up in the first place. The public knows how the military acts about those benefits and there has been significant heat over _any_ military spending in the wake of the Reaper war. It's a plausible scape goat that makes you look bad, a brilliant political move."

The Captain of Special Forces nodded slowly, "What about the situation throughout the rest of the Council Governments?"

"The Salarian situation is still in flux, the Turian, Human, and Asari Governments look to be completely under Soren and the Leviathan's direct control. As for the Batarians, Yagh, Vorcha, Krogan, Quarians, and Geth all my information indicates they are 'free' for the moment, but none of them are in much of a position to help right now and many of them probably wouldn't care." Miranda explained.

"What about the Krogan?" Abigail asked curious.

"It looks like," Liara cut in, "that attack orders have gone out to human and Turian command to blockade Tuchanka, cut them off, I doubt they can be a help to us."

Abigail nodded again, "Alright…what about this opposition team that has been put together?"

Traynor was the first to speak out, "Me, EDI, Miranda, and Liara have been going through the pictures of and the footage of the event compiling dossiers and seeing what we can come up with."

"Put them up," Abby ordered turning to the War Room.

Traynor nodded and got to work.

The first picture popped up in the holographic blue, this one happened to be an official Alliance file photo, with the occupant wearing his standard dress blues, and frowning stiffly into the camera.

"Him we know," Abigail pointed out, "Nathan Burke…anything new that we should know?"

Miranda started off, "He was one the Leviathan enthrallment teams as an N6 operative and eventually an N7, going deep behind Reaper territory, being assigned to one of the N7 multi species combat teams."

"He was on the Leviathan enthrallment team? That might explain a lot." Abby mused.

"Yeah, like how he was able to fall under their sway so easily." Miranda agreed.

The next photo that came up was the Alliance operations file, the one for the one who tried to assassinate Daniel Hudson at first. She had dirty blond hair and a rough demeanor.

"Amanda Bronson," Traynor started, "Alliance Special Forces, considered too violent and did not match the psych profile to be an N7, never rose higher then N5 till the war when she was eventually given a promotion due to need, became an N6, was assigned to the Leviathan team, had a team wiped out from under her, then was assigned as Burke's second in command. There were rumors they were…more than friends."

Abby and James smirked trading a look, Cameron glanced longingly at Miranda, she stiffened but Cameron moved to look away.

The next picture came up was one directly from the holo feed, it was blurry but showed a rather severe Turian…_even by Turian standards_…

"Corbulo…he-"

"Led the assault team that came to get me." Garrus finished the thought.

Traynor nodded and continued, "Turian Special Forces, also on the Leviathan teams, he was rescued by Burke's squad and swore himself to his side. Was one of the most distinctive and decorated Turian soldiers during the entire war effort."

Abby nodded, the show continued.

"Rael," Liara said as a bulky Asari appeared on the screen, "Commandos, no real relation to Nathan Burke but is an Asari Valkyrie that became well known in the war for conducting raids on Reaper forces, hit and runs on the outer colonies. She is…most lethal."

"Next," Abby sighed uninterested.

A Krogan appeared on the screen, his face was passive, and his features were…_typically Krogan, _Abigail frowned.

"Gattatog Lurn, former mercenary, and a lieutenant serving in the New Dawn Movement as a platoon leader. After the surrender he returned to the Terminus systems. He is quite deadly." Liara continued.

"I am sensing a pattern here." James grunted.

Abby smirked.

But the next face caused Abby's mouth to hang open as she recognized him.

"This is Ragurok," Liara gestured, "He's the-"

"Batarian we picked up from the one place which allowed us to break the case?"

"The one and only," Traynor confirmed.

"He is a highly skilled operator, assigned to the Batarian Special Intervention Unit," EDI explained, "He served with Balak, and had a brother on Bahak, as well as a girlfriend."

"Wonderful," The former Spectre groused. "Anyone else?"

"That would seem to be it," Liara grunted her hologram shimmering.

The room was silent as if everyone was catching their breath and considering the changing, and in fact developing, situation.

"Alright, so now what?" James shrugged.

"We strike back," Abby offered quickly, "we hit them where it hurts and where they least expect it. Right now they are vulnerable; right now they are still consolidating their forces. The time to strike is now, before they can gather themselves and seize more power."

"With what?" Cameron snapped coming forward. "One frigate? No allies or support other than Liara T'soni, against what seems to be the entire Alliance, and indeed the entire Citadel Council, no there is no way we can stand against that."

"You suggesting we run?" She sneered back placing her hands on the table.

"Your damn right, we need to stay low and see how the situation develops. Right now all we know is our allies are either cut off, under siege, or about to be converted. Our traditional support systems have been corrupted and turned against us. Our only option is to run and wait for the situation to change for the better. To gather allies and see where we can make a stand, who will help us, who won't, and gather resources."

"You've had experiences at this?" The Prime Shepard arched her eyebrow and smirked.

"You could say that." Cameron conceded nodding.

"So what," Abby challenged, "we just give up on Earth and let it fall?"

"Earth has fallen," Cameron stated plainly, "All we can do is manage the damage and try and take her back."

_Damn, he's right_, Abigail realized now that her mind had an extra second to think about it. But she couldn't quite admit it as she stared her male doppelganger down.

"Where do you suggest we go then?" Abigail hissed.

"That is up to you, I am not a part of this universe," Cameron shook his head taking a step back.

The room fell into silence again as each crewmember in turn thought of the options. Their options were limited and few, but also infinite, they just had to pick the right one.

"Sanctuary." Traynor's voice broke through the room.

"I beg your pardon?" Shepard asked.

"It's perfect." Miranda nodded.

"Horizon?" Cameron asked.

Traynor nodded, "Its off in the Terminus Systems and the prospectors that founded the colony made a point to divorce themselves from the Alliance, it is not under Alliance control, so like the rest of the Systems it is unlikely to have fallen under the control of the Leviathans, at least yet."

Abigail shrugged.

"Besides, with your history with the planet it would be the last place anyone would expect you to go." Miranda pointed out.

Abigail looked up and traded a look with her friend, she winced at the notion.

"Or the first place." James added unnesseccarily.

"Alright," Ashley decided, "I'm all in for Horizon, and at least we can see if they are in the game for us or if they are in the game for the enemy. Gather supplies, maybe connect with and form a resistance group."

"Sounds good to me." Cameron concurred.

_As if that makes it final_.

But they all turned to her, _as if expecting me to make the final decision…even though its Ashley's command_.

She thought about it for a split second, "Ashley, you have my blessing, if you think it's the right call then get us to Horizon."

Ashley nodded before leaving the room and heading onto the CIC.

It left the Captain looking around the room as the rest of them stayed, "Crew…dismissed."

_Port Observation Room_

Abigail Shepard walked in on Daniel Hudson looking outside the window at the stars whirring past, an arm leaning against the top of the bulkhead. She froze watching him for a second and seeing if he could detect her presence.

After it became obvious he didn't she cleared her throat. The man twirled on her in surprise and smiled upon recognizing her.

"Abigail." He smiled.

"Prime Minister." She bowed slightly.

"Always an odd turn of phrase that was," the man before her mused, "I do not understand why people insist on calling me Prime Minister even though that is no longer my job."

Shepard bit her lip before responding, "I think it has to do with being respectful, after all it was the highest position in Government you have achieved, it shall always be known by that title."

He sighed, "Hell of an epitaph."

Abigail nodded her head conciliatory, "That isn't why I came through."

"Oh? You have to have a reason to visit your old friend?"

The woman smirked nodding her head, "But seriously…I want and think you need to start a voice of the resistance. You are the most powerful orator that I know, while we go into hiding and start gathering allies you can be the rallying cry through the night, to anyone bold enough to listen."

"I think you are probably better at it then I am, I have heard tales of how you have turned around entire armies with nothing but your voice."

"Maybe," Abigail conceded, "But I am even better at shooting things."

"Yeah," Hudson sighed turning back to the window for a second. "OK, I'll do it, if you can gather the supplies I need."

"Alright then, I will see what EDI and Ashley can scrounge up."

"Good hunting Captain," He said over his shoulder as she left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

_Kodiak on Approach for Horizon_

Ashley Williams stood in the cargo compartment of the UT-47 Kodiak Shuttle as it dropped through Horizon's atmosphere in stealth mode. _We don't want the locals to know we are here until we know their intentions and can make a proper accounting of supplies_. Paul Leighy and James Vega sat behind her their weapons stapled to their back; Ashley cradled her Harrier.

"So…just when you think you have gotten away from here it just keeps pulling you back in doesn't it?" James asked, semi rhetorically.

She turned to the man and smirked, "Well it was this or that planet we found Palin on, and that is too much of an unknown. Or I suppose we could've gone to Torfan, but this was our best bet."

Vega frowned and nodded, "Just seems creepy we are using a place which was used for converting sentient beings into husks in some sick experiment."

"Well, it might be objectionable but we do have the practical need. Fortunately it seems we are the only ones to exploit this advantage and the rest of the Galaxy has been more creeped out then you are over the place." Paul said folding his hands together, and then turned to Ashley, "Mind you what are we looking for exactly?"

Ashley shrugged, "anything, food, power cells, any radio equipment for Daniel's little show. Replacement parts for the _Normandy_, you know…small stuff."

Paul snorted, "Right, so anything that isn't nailed down and still in operating order."

Ashley nodded getting back to her previous position, once again as Shepard was down and out, and the other Shepard still had a legally dubious position among the crew and the hierarchy of things.

"We are making our final approach now," Cortez reported.

"Alright," Ashley replied turning to the door.

The shuttle slid into its port as the door opened on the entrance pad.

Ashley Williams led the squad off of the shuttle as they landed on the tar mac as a single group. They unfurled their weapons as a group and moved to secure the area, Ashley's Harrier, James's Revenant, and Paul's Valiant. They checked the area for any threats, not that there would be any, but the process was engrained in them from hundreds hours of anything…expect the worse.

"Alright, move out." Ashley grunted.

The three of the squad mates went through the facility quickly. With no threats and no people in the vicinity that could be a threat to their objectives they crossed into Sanctuary Proper quickly, through the 'pool entrance' and into the labyrinthine structure where Cerberus conducted their Reaper Control experiments.

No matter the distance of time or familiarity she could not get used to the idea. Even though it was Cerberus, that Cerberus would indiscriminately convert millions…billions?...of sentient beings into husks.

_Even though I can sort of understand where they were coming from_. But the goals and the actions in pursuing those goals were highly different things. One of the only differences that truly mattered in life.

Ashley climbed up one of the ladders onto a platform and sighed. "This doesn't look good so far."

"Hmm?" James asked below her.

"No food, still the power cells might come in handy." Ashley said coming down.

"Why don't we just ask the Horizon Government for help?" Paul asked.

"Come on, you really want to take the risk that they just aren't going to turn us in?" Ashley asked in the process of dusting her hands off.

"We might not have a choice, especially when we start running out of supplies." Paul pointed out.

She nodded, "fair enough."

"Come on, Abby only gave us 3 hours down here." James pointed out.

"True enough," the _Normandy_'s current CO nodded off of the point.

With that note they moved even deeper into the facility, heading deep into the facility looking for anything that could help them out with their situation.

_Who knows we might even find something a bit unexpected down here_.

_Normandy-CIC_

"Yeah, thanks Ash," Abigail grunted into the com as the Commander of the _Normandy_ had reported in with her.

"We'll be down here for a while this facility is a lot deeper than we thought, still haven't found anything of value, turns out Cerberus was not big into food storage down here. But we can use it for sanctuary for a while if we need it."

"Thank you Ash," Abby repeated smiling.

"Yeah, Williams out." Ashley signed off the line.

The Captain folded her hands back behind her back as she stood in the crevice of the Galaxy Map, watching the rest of the _Normandy; _get to work on any number of tasks Ashley and their superiors had assigned them before they had arrived over Horizon. The ship was at a semi alert state given they were over an unknown situation. Though technically a part of the Terminus Systems, and not the Alliance, Horizon still was human and still could be influenced or effected by the events throughout the rest of their Government.

She heard the door open behind her and turned slightly to see Cameron barreling out of the door.

He approached her squeezing into the Galaxy Map bay and she nestled over to make room for him.

"How is Ashley doing?" He started to ask.

"Not well, she is still having trouble finding specific pieces of technology we may need…granted we don't need a lot but it might be worth it seeing and finding any spares we can take onboard while we still can, catch our breath. What worries me though is our stealth drive is about to fail."

"Then we have to talk to the people down there?"

Abby nodded.

"You sure you are fine out of bed right now?" Cameron asked.

She arched an eyebrow at her male doppelganger, "And who assigned you to be my baby sitter?"

He snorted crossing his arms over his chest, "No one, but I do keep track of my crew and make sure they are doing OK. And like it or not, though I may not be in command here…you are…and you are now a part of my crew. We have to watch each other's backs or…"

"Yeah I know, then no one will." She finished the thought. "But look, I'm fine."

"Are you? That decision you were going to make in the War Room would have been reckless. Even dangerous to this ship, crew, and our long term objectives. But what's worse is you _know_ that. Or at least should. You are an N7, a Spectre, and a Shepard…you know that it is going to take massive resources, grit, resolve, and coordination to defeat any enemy who has a technological, strategic, or numeric edge. We are down at least two of those."

She sighed, "Not so different from engaging the Reapers is it?"

"No," the ex-Commander from another universe admitted, "but we have none of the traditional resources we used to defeat the Reapers in the first place all those years ago. _Zero_."

"So we need a plan?" Shepard pressed smirking.

"Yes, and we need a leader who isn't going to run herself ragged while she is supposed to be recovering from a major surgery."

The Captain snorted, "This is light duty Cameron, not like I am going down to lead any strike teams or anything."

"Just don't overdo it is all I am saying."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" She whirled on him scowling. "I have done this probably as long as you have I know my limits."

"Yes, you probably do, but you are under a lot of stress and a lot of hardships. With a lot of things heading down the pipe at us in the coming months. If you can't handle it then we need to step in, you are no good to anyone hurt, which could leave you dead."

The Valkyrie sighed dramatically, "yes, and that's the problem isn't it? I'm important. I need to be at my best or the whole world could fall apart under me."

"I didn't say that," Cameron challenged.

"No?" Abigail arched an eyebrow, "It is certainly implied. So it would seem my options are, if I take your advice, is to either go into the breach and die and do no one any good, or sit on the sidelines, in which case I probably won't do anyone any good either. So if my options are to fight and die, or sit back and die, then I will go down fighting."

Cameron blew air through his cheeks, "Yeah, just don't overdo it."

"I'm fine Cam," She sighed, "Chakwas is just probably being cautious."

"That is her job you know," Cameron pointed out.

"True," Abigail conceded meekly. "So pretty bold of the new comer to be going around and shouting advice all the time."

"Hey," Cameron grinned lolling his hands over the Galaxy Map. "It's what I do…how I defeated the Reapers in fact."

"Oh is that a fact?" Abby teased.

He nodded but didn't say anything looking through the whole arm of the ship. His face frowned deep in thought.

"Thanks for trusting me."

"Not like I had much choice, you're a Shepard." She teased ribbing him.

"I'm serious; I would hate to be stuck down there all by myself."

"Yeah, makes sense." Abby conceded.

The two of them, without anything further to say it would seem, descended into an uneasy silence. _I suppose he is right, and has the best intentions, but if no one else is going to be able to do this, then I guess it falls on me again_.

She then wondered for perhaps the millionth time in her life if she had made the right decision. While it was true that it was the justification that Harbinger used to temporarily indoctrinate her, _the guy had a point_. She had become too important and was always forced into these dangerous situations.

The silence was becoming oppressive, she was about to turn to Cameron to say something.

But Joker cut her off, "Uh…Captain…we are going to be running out of our stealth drive soon and need to vent the heat sinks."

"Here we go," Abigail sighed clenching her fists, "then come out of the mode, engage all Kinetic barriers, and stand by in case this gets ugly."

"Right, thanks for the pep talk." Joker sneered.

The next few seconds seemed like minutes to Abigail's perception as Joker moved to carry out her orders. Nothing happened at first, but then…

An alarm blared off in the CIC one quick solid pitch that was added with the last refit.

"Active scans! Planetary profile" EDI reported over the intercom for dramatic effect, probably trying to be heard over the alarm.

From years of experience Abigail drew the picture of her mind eye of what was going on the swirling orb beneath them. Right now scanners and assault ships were powering up, planetary based GUARDIAN batteries were probably being manned, all tracking the sudden appearance of the ship above them.

She winced, _the same batteries they had installed on Horizon during the Collector Crisis_.

It was an old military cliché to be shot at with the very weapons you had given to someone in the first place for their defense or to just keep them happy and calm. But they weren't firing yet. No smoke, no sparks, no sting of battle.

_Maybe they'll want to talk first, maybe they actually recognize me_.

"We're being hailed." EDI reported just as the thought fully formed in Abby's consciousness.

She sighed, relieved, "Put them up."

The Galaxy Map twisted into a holographic representation of a severe and rather pudgy faced woman.

"SSV _Normandy_ state your intent." She announced.

"We are here seeking refuge from the warrants which have been placed for our arrest throughout the Galaxy." Abigail reported.

"Oh really?" The Planetary Governor arched an eyebrow.

"You haven't heard the reports or seen the message?" Abigail asked trying to keep her voice neutral, from the surprise to drip through it.

"Yes, but that could be an Alliance trap." She pointed out.

"If it was a trap then why would we be here?"

"To get close to us, to determine what our strengths were, after all you are here unannounced and the only reason we know of your presence in the first place is you have appeared on our screens."

"We are in a stealth ship," Abigail felt the need to point out; "we could have come and gone at any time we don't need to sit around waiting for ourselves to be exposed."

"Accidents happen."

Abigail sighed, "Look we saved you from the Collectors, we stopped Cerberus from running roughshod over the colony, and we have saved many lives here, surely that entitles us to some chance."

"Which is why you haven't been blown out of the stars," The Governor smirked, "but these are strange times and trust is hard to come by."

"Yes but we need safe haven, for all of our technology we are just one ship and you have an entire planet."

"And a planetary communication net, I could turn you over to the Alliance in exchange for amnesty." The Governor smiled deadly.

"Come on," Abigail frowned, _I feel insulted_, "you have to know by how Soren has acted that he is not just going to stop at that. He wants control, and he is not just going to stop because you act nicely."

"So what do you propose?" The Governor inquired.

"An Alliance," Abby mustered, "we join forces to try and protect each other."

The Governor laughed, "As you pointed out you are just one ship-"

"One with a lot of technology and can offer protection, one with military training that can coordinate your resources into a fighting front. I know it looks grim and I know we will probably not last long if attacked but I also know that we have more of a chance working together then we do separated."

The Governor cocked her head to the side, "Alright, I have to run this by my Council and Parliament, but you have my blessing."

"That is all I ask, and thank you." Shepard nodded before the screen shut off.

Cameron shared a look with her, "It's something at least." The man acknowledged.

She nodded; _I just hope it's enough_.

_Normandy-Deck 3_

Daniel Hudson watched as a junior crewman carted in some antique and dirty looking equipment.

He gave Abigail the eye, "Are you sure this is really going to work?"

The woman responsible for his fate shrugged her shoulder at him semi-playfully, "No," she admitted. "But we have to do something."

He harrumphed.

"Come on when was the last time we had someone who went to the airwaves to take it to an out of control Government?"

He continued to give her the stink eye.

"Come on, you could be the next George Washington, Thomas Paine writing Common Sense…Jefferson and the Declaration of independence…Glenn Beck….Rand Paul, that sort of thing."

"Yes all the classics." Hudson sneered doubtfully.

She shrugged again, "well we have to do it, because if we don't then we will fail, trying we have a chance to succeed, and if we succeed then we have a chance of restoring the Alliance once and for all."

He sighed, "I know, just it all seems…so desperate."

"So do all the causes which are worth fighting…good luck." She bowed slightly heading out of the room.

The _Normandy_ tech gave him a thumb up and gestured to the chair.

He sighed again moving to sit down. Joining the table and breathing into the microphone. He did it again to check the sound levels by himself. Not exactly sure of what to do with himself. Finally personally satisfied he took the plunge and signaled to the tech to flip the on switch.

She did so and the equipment crackled to life.

"_Good evening, and welcome to the first broadcast of the Alliance free voice network. I am former Prime Minister Daniel Hudson your host." _

_A throat clearing punctuated the airwaves_

"_Sorry…but does any of the recent events make sense? Does it make sense, knowing my political record…I was voted out of the office for being aloof and 'not caring' not for being a political cutthroat…knowing the situation on the ground, knowing Abigail Shepard's reputation…does any of the events make sense? _

"_Does it make sense that one woman, who has shown a life time of service and not being an extremist to get her way, that she would suddenly lead a coup? Does it make sense that she, stuck either on her starship the _Normandy, _or in her office on Archturus, that she could coordinate such massive resources as to take out all the senators, parliamentarians, and Government leaders who disagreed with her? Does it also make sense that those leaders are known to have opposed Soren, and so has Abby Shepard, that is what Soren is claiming, so does it make any sense that Abby would kill people who could be her allies?_

"_It is dangerous to assume that your Government is lying to you, it's not a pleasant thought, but when the Government's testimony flies in the face of common sense…then something must be wrong. _

"_I implore you to think about it then do what you feel right for your conscious. _

"_Thank you, and have a good evening." _

**Author's Note: **Oh yey I got this out on time! Well at least in time for the one year birthing…week at least…of ME 3. It has been a very busy week for me so I could not get this out for the 6th or anything special. But nevertheless here it is. And I did have some personal fun with this chapter, after all of the political events of the week and stuff. I do like to add little event reminders throughout my work to remind me what was going on in my life at the time, or the universe I am working with.

Anyways, read, review, I do not think I have heard from many of you and I would like to.


	13. Chapter 13

_Arcturus-Office of the Prime Minister_

"Mister Soren!"

The Prime Minister turned around in his chair to see an aide standing outside the door waving a pad at him, he frowned, _and well this should be important_.

"What is it?" He said opening the door.

The Aide spilled in, "Sir, I take it you have seen the recent resistance broadcast? From Daniel Hudson?"

"Yes, I saw it." He frowned at the aide, _They certainly caught us off guard with that little stunt, had to release a press release, _and_ accelerate the time table on the conversion program on Earth_.

"Well OANI has used the information to triangulate a position, we know where they are, where Shepard was, at least when they sent the message!"

"Oh?" Soren brightened.

"They are…at Sanctuary…sir." The aide panted.

"Excellent, we will just have to bump the time up for the planned assault we were making on the colony of Horizon." Soren grunted. "Get with the local fleet commands and see what forces we have available _now_ might as well try and kill two birds with one stone and all."

The aide made a note on his report pad his hands arching and racing through the various permutations. "Anything else?"

"And get me Nathan Burke, and his squad, I need to inform them of this development, and give them their marching orders."

"Yes sir," the aide nodded, and then left the room.

Soren turned back to his office window, looking at the swirling clouds of rock dust, and the stars beyond. His feelings raging within him, happiness that they might have been able to save the situation, but dread that they had to wait in the first place.

He sipped his coffee waiting for the call to go through.

_SSV Anzio-War Room_

"Sanctuary?" Nathan Burke asked. "That was certainly a bold stroke."

"Shouldn't be surprising though," Amanda put in next to him, "it's probably what I would've done, it was the best of limited options they had available to them."

Soren nodded on the screen, "regardless I am gathering an element from the third fleet to rendezvous with you one relay out. Hopefully we can take them by surprise and round up _all_ the leaders of the resistance."

"What do we know about the geo politics of the planet?" Burke asked.

"Well, the planet originally was settled separate from the Alliance's sphere of political interests, out in the Terminus Systems. This much is well known, but if they are going out of their way to ally themselves with Shepard's band then their antagonism has only increased. They need to be stopped; we need to finally bring the colony under our sway once and for all. If we don't, then the consequences are likely to be more ghastly then we can imagine."

"We'll get it done sir." Nathan grunted. "On the way."

"Thank you, Arcturus out."

"Amanda…get the ship ready for a jump to the…umf" He grunted as Amanda's lips went to his and her arms went around his neck, pulling him in for a tight kiss.

"Hmm," She purred laying her head on his chest, "It's been a while since we did that."

"Yeah," Nathan grunted.

"Don't you miss me?" She murmured huskily.

He grunted as her voice bored right through him, "Well yeah…it's just that I do think that there are some advantages to the idea of waiting till we accomplish a mission, especially one with so much danger involved."

"But that could be months from now," Amanda frowned.

"You think we'll fail?" Nathan asked sounding hurt.

She gave him a frustrated look, "no I did not say that, did I?" She assured, "but we are facing the first human Spectre, a woman who has dealt with many situations, defeated the Reapers, hell if the rumors are true she has come back from the dead. Whatever happens this isn't going to be easy."

He sighed, "I suppose you're right."

Silence descended on the room as neither one wanted to say something, neither of them occurred anything else to say, other than a cloud of accusation and doubt was hanging over Nathan's head like some black storm cloud. It made it hard to think, hard to rationalize, every time he tried the storm would spark and his thoughts would go fleeing back along a more favorable, less painful, path. _Take Amanda, neutralize Shepard_.

"But you still want to continue what we started from the war?" Amanda asked demurely.

"I'm…not sure," he winced, "I'm not sure of a lot right now. Actually."

"Well, I'm sure." Amanda said moving her mouth up again and clamping down on his lower lip.

Nathan froze for a second, he wanted to push her away, for half a second before he seized her and started to kiss her back. Fully and passionately, he huffed, and she giggled, her leg came up against his, and he led her to his quarters.

_We have all the time in the world for a quickie_, his mind rationalized, yeah _his mind_.

_Normandy-CIC_

Abigail Shepard and Ashley Williams stood in the well of the Galaxy Map, after having a bull session with the Horizon parliament, and comparing notes on the status of the ship, and the resistance, and after meeting with Hudson, it had been a busy day.

They had decided that she would be the supreme military commander of the entire military resistance they were starting. _Though I'm going to keep the rank of Captain_, she frowned. But she was the George Washington of their little group. _Though I shouldn't exactly be surprised I have been shouting orders at Admirals and deciding the fate of species since I took Command of the _Normandy_ not fair, but it is what it is_.

Hudson would be Thomas Paine, the person they would go to for their political 'propaganda' and getting the truth out…hopefully countering the real propaganda of the Soren government if they really insisted on coming after them.

As for Ashley, well she would just get the _Normandy_, not really a cool historical parallel but she was still in command of one of the most unique warships to have existed since the Alliance Navy got its start.

"Captain," Her aide came up breaking her out of her reverie.

"Yes?"

The man handed her a pad and then before saluted heading off.

"Anything good?" Ashley asked.

"I wonder why he handed this to me," Abigail said handing it over, "it's a status report on the engines."

"Adams says the heat diffusion system is acting up?" Ashley asked reading from it. "Well that is certainly…different."

"Yeah," She sighed.

The Galaxy Map whirled below them, in its super imposed, super-fast, representation of the Galaxy. A Galaxy which was in abstract turmoil again. This was not the Reaper War, but it could easily have the effect of spilling over into the entire Galaxy, the war that they had to fight if they wanted to be free. They had their break from the Disciple crisis, which also could have had galaxy changing implications, but they headed it off before it got any worse. _I wonder if I have it in me to be lucky one more…_

"Shepard," Miranda came up behind them.

The two women turned on the third.

"Yes?" Abigail asked.

The genetically enhanced operative blanched at the inquisition, "My reports through the Phoenix Network has picked up reports, an attack force due to be heading to Horizon has picked up its launch date, they are leaving now. Nathan Burke and his squad are also on the way."

"Wonderful," The _Normandy's_ current CO groused.

"How'd they find us?" Abigail pressed looking deep into Miranda's eyes.

The operative smirked ruefully, "My guess would be that little radio broadcast that you had Hudson do. I mean really Shepard, the voice of the resistance?"

"It's a good idea." Abigail defended.

"But not a secure one," Miranda rebuffed.

"Fine, something we need to work on. In the meantime let's get the people down there ready for evac. As many as we can." Abigail ordered.

"We're going to evacuate Horizon?" Ashley arched a surprised eyebrow.

"Yeah, all available transports, shuttles, any ship with weapons capability, we'll attempt to escort them out…Traynor get me in touch with the Horizon Prime Minister…she is going to love this."

"And where are they going to go after we get them out?" Ashley asked.

"Anywhere we can get them," Cameron's voice cut in before Abby could reply. "That is not our first priority; our first priority should be to get them off world and to get them out of here. To survive, we can worry about the where later."

Abigail smiled thinly, "He's right."

"Yeah, but we need a plan. How about Akesh?"

Abigail shook her head, "too many unknowns, too many…things we can't control. They are out. As much as I might like the idea."

Ashley sighed, "So what we just go drift around the stars like the Quarians? I don't want to do that either."

"Neither do I," Abby agreed, "But we have the supplies and the training to do what we need to make it happen. At least until we catch a break."

"Exactly, buy time that is all we can do." Cameron agreed.

"You seem to have a lot of experience with this," Abigail teased turning to Cameron.

"Hey, I was on the run at one point, having the galaxy mad at me. We do have allies; we just need to find them."

The human Captain nodded, "right, it is good solid advice."

"I've got the Horizon governor on the line."

_This should be fun_, Abigail groused. "Put her on."

_Normandy Deck 3_

"Ah!" Abby hissed as Chakwas rubbed a hand over her exposed stomach, and particularly the scar from Nathan's attack.

"Don't be such a grouch." Chakwas chastised.

"And where have I heard that one before," Her patient remarked sarcastically.

"Well, you seem to be healing nicely." Karin muttered taking out her Omni-tool to do a third, _and hopefully final_, scan.

"So I can get back to full duty?" She asked hopefully.

Chakwas frowned, "I said _healing,_ not healed. You still need more time to get a few things sorted out…that is if you ever manage to heal at all. This is not something that is just going to happen."

"Damnit," Abigail grunted, "we have a situation developing here, I need to be there if we are going to head this situation off."

"The crew needs you in one piece; you can't be in one piece if you die. Commander Williams, James, and that new you are more than sufficient for the time being, the important thing is you stay healthy and safe. Give yourself time to heal, to get back into shape, you've done it before."

Shepard bit her lip and closed her eyes, "fine, whatever you say, you're the doc…doc. But the crew is going to need me eventually."

"Well, that is what we are here for." Chakwas agreed.

"Good, well then I will come back in for the next appointment same time in a couple of days?"

Chakwas shrugged, "Sure, if you want, duties permitting, it looks like you are an important woman now."

"Thank you Doctor," Abby nodded leaving the room.

All of the doctor's ministrations and probing caused her back and leg to stiffen up, she gritted her teeth and hissed as she slowly made her way out of the room and headed for the mess hall. Her goal was to see who was there.

And to answer her question both Cameron and James were sitting there, looking as though they were engaged in an arm wrestling competition.

"Gentlemen." She greeted as she rounded the corner.

They both stopped for a second, long enough to look up at her as she came around the corner.

"Gentlemen, please, as you were." She held her hand in a stopping gesture, though they did not comply, she sighed. "You two ready?"

"Yeah Lola, just settling a bet between me and Cameron…blowing off some steam, apparently we were good friends back in his universe."

"We had our moments," Cameron smirked.

Abigail nodded and joined in the smiles, but her mind was already racing ahead to another problem she had to consider. _Well, I've been avoiding this…but he has shown himself to be…a Shepard_.

"I've been meaning to bring something up and…ask you," She turned to James.

He nodded at her urging her to continue.

"I think," She hesitated, "James would you have any great objection if Cameron took point on this one? Maybe for a permanent posting?"

The Special Forces Commander traded a look with the former Commander from another universe, Cameron looked right back at the younger man staring at him. Finally James broke the grid lock.

"You thinking I can't handle myself Lola?" He teased.

"No," she responded honestly, "just…" she struggled for the right words.

"Yeah I know," James grinned, "he was a Shepard, _and_ in another universe a Commander in the Alliance Navy…that is at least one thing I am not, and the other thing I can never be. I don't have a problem if he takes point, less pressure on my shoulders. I can just worry about being the bad ass Marine and shooting things, and not goofing off having to worry about nurse maiding people."

"Cameron?" She asked.

The man shrugged, "fine by me. But the question I have is…why?"

The Captain shrugged back, "Well, considering that you are a Shepard, you have the experience, you have proven yourself time and time again since we met you are capable, loyal, everything I look for in any subordinate. And…" she bit her lip, "you have a cool and level head."

"Well yeah but any of those attributes can be found amongst members of the crew." Cameron pointed out.

"Well," Abigail pointed out, "Ashley is going to have her hands full commanding the _Normandy_, James, as he says…is not always the best at this sort of thing, Garrus is busy with the weapons suite, and even if he wasn't I don't think he likes the idea of command anymore then James when you get down to it. And I'm still on the disabled list, at least for now."

"Right," Cameron nodded, "fair enough, just checking."

"I understand." She glanced at the two of them. "Well, continue with your game boys…have fun." She smirked before sauntering off down the corridor towards Hudson's room. Before she made it very far they were already grunting in consternation.

"No way man!" James exclaimed, "You were totally cheating!"

The Captain's smirk grew slightly wider as she turned the corridor, and entered the room, the door opened before her. Daniel Hudson was standing at the window and turned at her presence.

"I take it you've heard?" She asked the former Prime Minister.

"That Soren is putting together a task force which is threatening Horizon and will be here any hour now." Hudson murmured, "I've heard."

"Well, I guess a Frigate really is a great place for a rumor mill." Abby acknowledged smiling wryly.

Hudson smirked, "Still, I don't know the why behind the reason they found us."

"We _think_ it's your radio show. They probably homed in on the signal."

Hudson nodded gravely, _but he looks relived_, Abby's eyes narrowed dangerously.  
"Well that's too bad; there goes my brilliant career in radio."

_Uh huh_, Abigail thought to herself. "We need to find a way to transmit secure signals in the future is all, and since that doesn't matter anymore I want you on the airwaves as soon as you can get on the airwaves."

"Why?" Hudson responded sighing.

"We need to rally the troops somehow, this is the only way we can do that, if we don't, if we don't explain why this is happening and more importantly _what_ is happening how is the people supposed to know? Even if we touch one person then we will be gaining steam." Abigail emphasized the last.

"Right," Hudson nodded, looking determined.

_Maybe I am good at this after all_, Abby smiled wanly.

…

"_Well, my friends, this is now the time for action. There is an Alliance task force on its way to Horizon, to the place known as Sanctuary, for right now they are on their way to attack. _

_And while it is true we were here I have it on good authority that they were coming here anyways, to attack a _neutral_ world, which has not done anything to anyone, simply in a bid to take over the Government. _

_I ask 'why?' why is this happening? What has Horizon done to the Alliance? Can you think of one thing? _

_Why has no one reported that this attack has been necessary? While it is true that the military often has to act in secret to protect their battle plans and strategies, they are also answerable to the people. _

_And have you, the people, heard a single explanation for an attack on Horizon? Are they developing weapons? Are they threatening to blockade Alliance interests? What exactly are they doing? _

_Ask yourself, reach your own conclusions, do the research. This is only the beginning. _

_Because what about the attacks on Tuchanka, on Sur'kesh? Have they told you the people about the need to attack those worlds?_

_Something, ladies and gentlemen, is afoot."  
_

**AN:** Well GF is back, if you read it, review it, if you could be so kind and sorry for the long delay on this and I hope to be getting back to regular updates of this stuff.


	14. Chapter 14

_The Normandy-CIC_

Commander Ashley Williams stood in the well of the Galaxy Map, leaning on the railing, waiting for the storm to begin. The crew was at their battle stations, and all the systems were primed, as the first waves of refugees were already making their way to the Mass Relay. And meanwhile the planetary Governor said she would stay behind to maintain the dignity of her office and in solidarity with her people. _That was the situation at least on the ground_, as Cameron, James, Miranda, Paul, and Cynthia all formed the strike team.

_And for Shepard…she's sulking down in the lower corridors, though I don't blame her given we don't actually have a 'fleet' to command…and the _Normandy's _mine and all. _

But it was still annoying.

"Commander, sensors have detected a large fleet of at least twenty ships on the outer edge of the planetary approach." EDI reported.

"Twenty ships? That is not enough for a blockade of a planet like this." Ashley grunted.

"It is once they secure the area," Ashley pointed out, "but let's give them something to worry about…engage the IES stealth system and begin evasive maneuvers."

"Yes ma'am." Joker replied from the helm.

"What gives?" Garrus asked.

"I don't want them to be comfortable, and they can't be comfortable if we are in stealth mode and could strike at any time." Ashley replied.

"Makes sense," Garrus asked.

_Sanctuary_

"Sir, we have ten men guarding each entrance and another twenty dispersed around the landing pad proper, along with a few drones and auto turrets."

Cameron nodded, the soldier below him carried an Avenger IV across his chest, pretty much what the entire Horizon guard contingent was armed with. He was likely a professional soldier who saw action in the war and was looking for a chance to serve, but not in any official capacity within the Alliance. A nice quiet semi-retirement.

_That never seems to work out for anyone_, Cameron thought.

"Very good," He finally replied nodding, "just keep it up and we'll be fine."

The soldier saluted before moving off.

Cameron had led the personal squad of James and Miranda down to the planet surface, Cynthia and Paul went off to do their own thing but otherwise it was all hands on deck who _weren't_ immediately engaged in an important position on the _Normandy_.

The two squads had two objectives: To organize the planets defenses in the event of attack by a large enemy ground force, who was most likely coming at any moment, and to keep people safe long enough for the evacuation to space lift them.

Cameron scrambled up the ladder checking over another box of thermal clips someone had placed on one of the platforms.

"Hey James, how are we doing?"

The Marine sighed, "Good, but usually we are talking about dealing with _dozens_ of enemies…not a full invasion force…that are a lot more sentient then your common indoctrinated stooge or husk. I mean I know we faced down a large force like this during the Disciple crisis…oh you weren't there that's right…but then we didn't have to worry about a bunch of untrained and raw soldiers 'watching our back.'"

"Make do with what you have?" Cameron arched an eyebrow.

"Roger that." James chuckled.

"Sir, we have shuttles incoming, looks like they are breaking off for both Sanctuary and the Capitol." One of the soldiers came up saluting him.

James and Cameron traded a look, "And so it begins." Cameron grunted looking down the corridor.

_Normandy-CIC_

"They have assumed a defensive position around Horizon, in orbit around Sanctuary, but their formation is tight." EDI reported over the coms.

_Interesting,_ Ashley thought. They were around Horizon flying in tight formation around the planet surface as the enemy appeared more concerned about the _Normandy_ coming in on them and keeping them away from the planet and watching their own backsides then they were about actually doing their jobs.

_But, it does actually make our job harder_. Ashley frowned.

"Joker, stalk that fleet, I want them in our sites as long as we can until someone gives the final evac notice."

"Yes ma'am." Joker replied.

_Sanctuary_

The first group of soldiers came tearing around the corner of the processing lobby of the facility.

Cameron expertly brought his Revenant up in one solid thrust and began firing the spread of bullets down range.

The first soldier's shields flared, he fell back, only to be replaced by another soldier behind him who brought his Harrier into the action. Others followed their new leader, firing Harriers, Avengers, and Revenants as they rounded the corner. The bullets slamming and smacking off the walls as they went.

Cameron flung his arm out launching a dark channel into the heart of the group, and followed it quickly with a shockwave blast, combining into a biotic explosion, causing the soldiers in the row to scramble and scatter.

But they were still dramatically outnumbered.

"Go, go!" Cameron grunted behind him as James fired his weapon in staggered fire, hoping to pin the enemy for a few seconds.

_All we are doing is buying time_. Cameron muttered internally.

One of the soldiers came rushing through the door behind them, Cameron launched into a charge and finished him off with a spray of bullets to the chest. They were back tracking now, as a squad, to the Sanctuary's 'hidden entrance'.

"Paul seal the doors if you can we're coming through!" He said vaulting over the ladder and down into the bottom of the bay as it began to slosh up with water.

Cameron waded quickly, into the entrance, and face to face with the waiting Infiltrator who was covering the door.

"There, that should keep them occupied for a few minutes." Cameron smiled.

But, just as he said it the lights flickered and the building rocked.

"Or not." Vega grumbled.

"Come on," Cameron grumbled.

Paul ran off back to where his assignment was on the backup landing pad, to join with Cynthia, as Miranda ran to catch up with him. In her black cat suit it made Cameron pause for a split second before running to meet her.

"How is the evacuation coming?" Cameron asked her.

"We've loaded three more shuttles, and a mineral ship that we are also trying to convert while we are cramming civilians into it. But," another explosion cut her off as she looked skyward, "with their fleet in orbit this will probably be the last run we can justify making."

"I know," Cameron nodded, "One thing at a time."

"Why don't they just try and wait us out, bomb us from orbit?" Vega asked.

"They want to seize power and kill or capture us; they don't want a bunch of charred corpses." Cameron responded.

"That's loco."

"That's war." Cameron cut in grimly.

He led them off deeper into the facility to their prepared positions, and ran over to make sure they were ready to face the oncoming storm of soldiers which were about busting down their door any second now. James assumed the position on the left flank, Miranda was just behind him, and he was on one of the top platforms overlooking the area with a sweeping Revenant. Several soldiers dotted the perimeter to assist them if they needed the assistance. Every little bit helps after all.

The Revenant burst to life as the first soldier came through the door even before Cameron could recognize he was there to shoot. The soldier crumpled but others quickly advanced into the breach holding their weapons and firing them, trying to take cover, but mostly using their superior numbers as a bludgeon.

The Horizon forces surged forward, and one of them took a burst to the chest from a Harrier, James responded by gunning him down.

"Where's Nathan?!" James asked as he took cover to reload.

"In chess the pawns go first." Cameron pointed out firing another burst of his own to kill the incoming forces, three of them in a line.

"What?!" James asked finishing up emptying another thermal clip.

Cameron launched a dark channel down the line into the center of the group. "They are using these forces to wear us down." Cameron fired another burst as the dark channel jumped to the next soldier; he flung a shockwave which exploded. "Use up our ammunition, kill the people who are working with us, test our defenses."

"Why couldn't we have done this?!" James grunted.

Cameron smiled wryly, "We were never apart of a fleet, or were working with Cerberus, or were involved on a Frigate engaged in Special Ops and not exactly front line operations, and besides the squad was never that large to make any of us expendable."

"And here I thought it was my charming personality." James teased.

Cameron grunted as he finally had to reload preventing him from making a retort, the enemy began to fire up at him finally, and he was exposed. Miranda unleashed an overload which caught the enemy off guard causing him to jerk, Cameron launched a Shock wave taking him off guard and finishing him off.

"Thanks," Shepard nodded at his former girlfriend who was someone else's best friend in this universe with his name…

"It could be a distraction too," Miranda pointed out.

Cameron grunted as the thought shot into his consciousness like a Thanix round.

"She has a point Loco,"

_Some things never change_,

"That is what Paul and Cynthia are for."

The Vanguard was brought out of his reverie as three mechs, _rocketed _ in, scooting in over and around the Sanctuary ground, one of them went for him, one of them went for a soldier and gave him a Shot Gun blast in the chest, and the other went for Miranda and James.

Cameron rolled away as the mech nearly stepped on him, scrambling to his feet and pulling out the Carnifex at his hip. The mech came in; Cameron ducked and launched his hand out in a biotically assisted punch. The mech barely took notice as it slashed across him with an enhanced Omni-blade, he staggered, but launched himself into a Biotic Charge at point blank range driving the mech into the wall. He fired three bullets from his Carnifex catching the mech on fire, rolled back, and launched a shockwave causing it to explode.

But in checking the 'aftermath' he noticed the enemy was now pouring in and threatening to over run their new position.

"Retreat!" He yelled out.

He charged into the center of the group and launched himself into a Nova scattering the enemy and providing them with valuable time to retreat. His Revenant came up and vomited fire as they retreated from the field of battle heading for the exit.

_Sanctuary-another location_

Nathan Burke entered a back room, 'maintenance area of the former Cerberus facility. He led Amanda and the Asari Valkyrie behind him as they were going to flank the position of the…_rebels?_ And win the day.

"Hey, you aren't supposed to be here!" One of the soldiers turned around to face him.

He rushed forward bringing his Avenger up, but was intersected by a Spike from the Spike thrower Amanda was cradling.

Three more soldiers took notice and also rushed forward trying to kill them; Nathan launched into a rolling summersault and launched a blast of biotic energy rolling down the corridor. It slammed into the group causing them to duck and fall. Nathan rushed into a charge slamming into the middle of them, and swung around with his sword slamming the three of them aside and killing them.

He smirked at his handy work.

"You know if the rest of their soldiers are this bad then we shouldn't have any problems." Amanda remarked sarcastically.

Nathan was about to agree when a sniper round shot at his head nearly taking down his shields, but none followed it so he looked calmly and curiously to the left.

"That was very impressive." A man said holding a Valiant on him.

Nathan turned in full, "You must be Paul Leighy."

"The one and only," Paul agreed, "and you are the person who kicked Shepard's ass. Something that is not happening again by the way."

"Oh so she is alive?" Nathan smirked. "Then where is she?"

"Figured she would take the day off, after all she is so far above the interests of us mere mortals, especially you."

"Is that a fact?" Nathan arched an eyebrow, "Well I did kick her ass."

"Well it was raining and it was wet, she hates fighting in the rain."

"I see."

Before the Infiltrator could react, _or at least that was the plan,_ Nathan surged forward into a biotic charge closing the distance, but as he was, he saw Paul cloak. He surged through the air where Paul was, and tried to cut himself up short, but slammed into the wall on the far side nearly knocking him senseless.

Rael and Amanda surged forward trying to cover him but they were intercepted by a Geth Plasma Shotgun wielding Cynthia Jackson.

Paul decloaked next to him charging him with active Omni-blade, Nathan brought up his biotic sword and charged forward.

They clashed, Paul ducked, and spun around sweeping Nathan's feet out from under him, the Slayer spun out of the way as Paul moved to give a finishing blow and kill him; Paul spun away bringing up a Talon and fired it into the group.

Amanda and the Valkyrie ushered into the jaws of defeat as well, firing at the two of them, and Paul had to reload.

"Come on, we need to get out of here," Cynthia fired off two more blasts, "we just don't have the time!"

Paul nodded, "Fine! Lead the way!"

Cynthia did so as he cloaked, he slammed the door shut as Nathan and company slammed into it from behind. Nathan grunted and slammed a fist against the barricade.

_Normandy-CIC_

Ashley had ordered the ship to make a strafing run on the enemy fleet, to get a close in line scan with passive sensors to develop a potential and specific attack profile; she could feel the engines surge underneath her as the holographic blips began to converge on one another. This was the moment of truth.

"Hey, what are you!"

_Bang, bang…gun shots?_

Ashley wrenched her head around wondering who was firing in the _Normandy_ CIC.

And Shepard's aide came out of the war room entrance, holding an Eagle pistol, aiming down its sights.

"What the? What are you-"

Ashley felt a bullet slam into her shoulder as her eyes widened and she collapsed on the Galaxy Map, she looked in slow motion as the aide continued to advance.

"Security!" Traynor screamed as she dove, and took a bullet in her butt.

One of the security troops in question brought an Avenger around and began firing, but he took two bullets in the neck for his trouble killing him.

The man came over to her, carrying his Eagle in one hand, and glared at her. "I think you should be grateful that we consider you reasonable, and that I have to conserve ammo, and you are not really much of a threat to me."

Ashley wanted to prove him wrong, wanted to reach up and strangle the bastard for violating her, but nothing moved, _why can't I move?_

"Paralytic poison rounds." The man replied off her thought, "Certainly useful when you have few rounds left, now if you'll excuse me."

He moved pocketing something out of his pocket and attacking it to the Galaxy Map internal well. The lights immediately started to flicker and the sparks began to spark and explode along the CIC.

"What the?" Joker asked over the intercom, "Security breach in the CIC, sealing off the bridge!"

Ashley saw the door to the CIC seal itself and mass effect field come up, _at least they are safe_.

_Normandy-Deck 3_.

Abigail looked up at the ceiling as Joker reported what was going on the bridge, she stopped sipping at her Frappuccino and dropped it to the decking.

Going for the new 'secret' armory panel by the memorial wall, _installed after the incident with the husks running around the _Normandy_ during the disciple crisis_.

She yanked down on the control handle as the armory hissed open, revealing a few Eagles and other equipment pieces. She took an Eagle and a shield harness out of the bay and began attaching them to her standard battle dress.

But she was having trouble attacking the shield harness with thermal clip ports, just a simple vest which provided some small shield protection for soft shield targets.

"Soldier, get over here! Help me get this thing on!" She yelled at a passing noncom.

The man rushed to her and began to seal up the back clips of her harness, and she started suddenly as he brushed against her.

"Soldier, that better be your pistol I feel." She commented.

"Sorry ma'am, it is ma'am."

She smiled ruefully at the thought.

The man finished, she nodded her thanks before dashing off into the elevator. The ride seemed to last an interminably long time as someone was shooting up _her_ CIC.

The door to the CIC opened up and she spilled out, rolling as bullets slammed in above her, she checked to see who it was and was shocked to see her aide staring her down with an Eagle.

The aide fired again and Shepard rolled forward, bringing her weapon up in one solid motion she fired the disruptor enhanced rounds, slamming through the man's shields and knocking him down.

He tried to double clutch the Eagle in his hand, but Shepard beat him to it putting three more rounds in his chest, electricity arched through him and he collapsed on the well of the Galaxy Map. Abby reloaded the Eagle and clutched it, covering him, making sure he didn't just decide to get up to reengage, but he did look quite incapacitated.

The Valkyrie rushed forward to the well of the Galaxy Map and leaned over the _Normandy's_ fallen CO, blood leaking out of her shoulder. "Damnit!" She cursed applying medi gel. "Ashley? Ashley can you hear me!? Stay with me! What's going on? You ok?"

Ashley was frozen in place, stiff, but her eyes rolled over and she glared at the Galaxy Map. Abigail followed her eyes and spied a small box attacked to the Galaxy Map emitting energy.

"Damn it!" Abigail cursed grabbing for it, "Ah!" She screamed as the electricity arched into her fingers.

She threw the box against the wall and fired the Eagle at it as it splattered.

"Medics to the CIC, the situation is secured! Repeat the situation is secured! I need status reports now people!" She screamed into her intercom.

A coughing noise drew her attention, she spun around to notice her aide, her former aide trying to sit up, the bullet holes smoldering in his chest.

She grabbed him by the scruff of his uniform tunic and held him up nearly face to face, "Why?!" She spat.

He laughed, a raspy, choking sound, "you have no idea what you are doing do you?"

"That was not an answer!" She replied.

"Because you are a reactionary, you are a woman who is not needed in the new order that has been rising. You have no idea what it has been like, living as you have in the Citadel, on your apartment, out amongst the stars. You and Hudson both! You have been isolated, aloof, while Earth has suffered!"

"We seek to mitigate the suffering as much as possible, and to protect from those who would cause more!" Abigail Shepard retorted.

"How? By pulling back? By leaving people to fend for themselves! Soren understands, Soren knows what it takes to rebuild! We need a strong leader who is willing to do whatever it takes to rebuild, use whatever power they have, politically, economically, and governmentally, that is something that you and Hudson will never understand!"

Abigail felt a spike of shock rage through her body, she grunted, in frustration. "You will be interrogated for all you know." Was the only response she could manage.

He began laughing, his mouth began frothing.

_No!_ She screamed internally trying to shake the poison out, but it was far too late, for him, and any further use for any of them.

"Damn it!" She pulled herself up as the medics poured in around her attending to Traynor and Ashley. "I'm assuming command! Until such time as Commander Williams is back on her feet! I need reports people!"

"Something is acting up with the IES system, trying to keep us in stealth drive for a few moments, but it's difficult, I think we're starting to leak heat." Adams reported.

"What?" The once again Commander of the _Normandy_ leaned across the railing.

"Whatever happened on the CIC, it has affected our entire starships power grid, I think we are leaking heat."

"Shepard, we have an Alliance Cruiser swinging around on our position."

"Joker, evasive maneuvers."

"I'll do my best as Adams tries to reset the systems." Joker grunted.

"All I can ask."

"They are closing." EDI reminded.

"Hold on!" Joker yelled banking the ship around.

"Reestablishing the IES, for a second, going to have to watch it but we are stable for now."

"Acknowledged," Abby said breathing a sigh of relief, and then to the retreating medics dragging Ashley and Traynor away on stretchers, "take care of them." She said.

"Will do ma'am."

_Sanctuary_

Cameron took an under cut from a Krogan charging on him, he grunted as he brought his Revenant up covering him and pushing it off, the Krogan unleashed a shockwave right to Cameron's gut, Cameron rolled away and fired a stream of bullets, before jumping down off the platform.

"Cameron!" His com screeched at him.

"What is it?" He said bringing his finger to his ear, _ow_.

"This is…Shepard…we have a problem up here, we need to evacuate, now! Get up here with anyone left, we'll try and give you some cover."

"Right, _Commander_ Shepard out." Cameron acknowledged, "Miranda, James, Paul, Cynthia, we're going."

He launched into a charge taking a guard out at one of the exits to the room they were in, the man staggered and he slammed a biotic fist into his stomach killing him. Shepard switched his Revenant out for a Carnifex as he was able to cover the retreat of the rest of his squad; he took cover, aimed down the scope, and continued to fire. Aiming a few pot shots at the Krogan to let him know they were still a threat.

As Miranda and James both made their moves around him he rolled to the side behind yet another sealing door.

"Come on, let's go, and break for the shuttles." He ordered.

They moved down the corridor as a single unit, running, quickly breaking through into the secondary landing pad which was chalk full of shuttles, and the last of the crowded civilians and even a few of the troopers.

"Alright get these people moving." Cameron ordered as he ran for the Kodiak.

But an explosion to his left stopped him dead in his tracks as Nathan Burke and his squad poured on through. Nathan glared at the oncoming preparations and started to run towards them.

Cameron responded by launching a dark channel effect, followed by a shockwave causing them to stagger from the biotic explosion.

The Vanguard used this distraction to leap onto the shuttle with Miranda and James.

"Steve, get us out of here!" He yelled to the cockpit.

The Kodiak began to rise from the ground heading into the sky, its engines picking up steam as others in their convoy also began to take off. Cameron looked around the cargo compartment and Cynthia and Paul were there, as well as a couple of adults, and a group of four children. The shuttle broke atmo causing Cameron to stumble for a second.

_Abigail is just going to love this. _


	15. Chapter 15

_Normandy-Deck 3_

_Where to go, where to go? That is the question of the hour, if only I had some magical crystal…oof!_

Abigail Shepard looked down as she collided with a solid object, _where there shouldn't be a solid object_; she looked down and saw a kid blinking up at her, a blond haired girl, clean cheeked, blinked up at her.

"Stacey!" A female voice squealed behind her.

A blond haired woman came running up and blushed as she held her daughter by the shoulder. "I am so sorry Commander Shepard; she just got away from me."

"Uh, no it's ok…though its Captain now." Abigail explained flustered, but managed to bring up a smile.

"Oh, my apologies Captain!" The woman yipped before running off and wagging a scolding figure at her daughter.

Abigail scratched at her chin as she watched them walk away. _Children and families on the _Normandy_, what is this, the _Galactica! It was certainly a new experience for her in her command, having to personally tend to civilians.

After escaping the little flotilla they had assembled, a mixture of mining, industrial, passenger, ships and shuttles, was drifting deep into the Terminus Systems trying to find a shore to land on and take cover. But no solutions had presented themselves so there they were, drifting out amongst the stars, the _Normandy_ being the only warship that deserved the name. The rest of the ships hardly had any armaments.

_And they had taken on refugees_.

Add to that whatever the aide did to the _Normandy's_ systems had a lasting effect. The ship's IES stealth drive was muttering, and several other key systems shut down briefly requiring a reboot. Not even EDI could track down the problem but until they did the _Normandy_ was in a compromised state, as it had to not only worry about them, but the other ships in the convoy.

But Abigail had no time for too much retrospection as she was on a mission; she glanced down towards the med bay and made her way in that direction. The door opened as she entered the med bay, and Chakwas turned at her presence.

"Ah, Captain Shepard, here for your next evaluation?"

"Yeah, let's get this over with." Shepard responded grimly.

Abigail Shepard stood rigidly as the doctor waved her Omni-tool over the wounds and the rest of her ligaments. She felt the need to twitch her foot, but restrained it forcefully. _I just hope I don't have to do what I came here to do_.

Chakwas frowned as she tried waving the Omni-tool over her patient one more time. The frown turned upside down into a smile as she got the data she clearly wanted.

"There, one minute please." Chakwas parted from Shepard and began entering the data into the computer.

Abigail felt her foot begin to tap against the deck plating as she turned her eyes skyward, hoping, praying, the results would have a desirable outcome. It felt like her foot was about to come apart at the seams as she waited.

"Ah," Chakwas stated, "no neural improvement but some slight physical elasticity, I still think you need to-"

She was cut off as she turned around and saw Abigail's face, and the look which was plastered upon it.

"Doctor, I need a clean bill of health, I need a reinstatement of my full duties."

The woman before her frowned deeply, "I'm afraid I can't do that Captain, I know what you mean when you say a return to full duty, I know where you will go, and you want to lead from the front. I cannot authorize that."

"Well then I have no choice."

"No choice?"

Abigail bit her lip considering her next words _very carefully_, "One way or another I am taking my command back. One way or another I am returning to duty. I need to return to duty."

"And how will you do so without my express permission?" Chakwas folded her arms over her chest.

"You know what happened to my aide," Abigail pointed out and saw the doctor's eyes widen, "he turned out to be indoctrinated, or a mole. I can have James come in here right now and take you away, claim you have been manipulating my test results to keep me on the bench, that you have been indoctrinated."

"This is blackmail!" Chakwas yelled out.

Abigail blinked at her doctor, no her _friend_, frozen, waiting for her to make her next move.

"Why are you doing this? You are putting yourself in undue danger."

"Because I can handle myself, and it's not a matter of want, it's a matter of need. I _need_ this, more than ever before, if I don't make a stand, for all we have begun to build since the war... I need to do this."

Chakwas sighed.

Abigail folded her arms over her chest, her sympathy and her reasoning beginning to take over and take the edge off her passion a small bit.

"Look, Karin, I'm sorry…maybe this is wrong of me, hell I hardly know which way is up anymore. But I need this, I know what I'm doing, I've faced far worse than this before."

"Alright, but if you get yourself in trouble, if you cannot handle yourself, then I just hope you either stop, or you don't get anyone else killed. I trust you Shepard, I do, enough that I will give you this one chance no matter what else you have done. But you must be rational for that trust to continue."

She nodded, "Very well Doctor, and thank you." She picked up her BDU vest and got back into it as she left the med bay.

As the door closed behind her she had to use a hand to hold herself up against the wall, her heart was pounding, her chest was heaving, and she breathed heavily in and out, though she managed to keep up a stable rhythm, but her breath still came out in puffs. _What did I almost do?_ She wondered. _What is going on with me? I don't know_. She knew she had to keep it up though, she knew that niceties weren't going to cut it if she was going to win this war, and she was not going to win the war sleeping in some med bay or _twiddling my thumbs in my cabin_, it did have a cool hard ruthless logic to it. _But so does what Chakways said_. She sighed.

"_Shepard?"_ Miranda's voice broke in over the intercom. _"Abigail?"_

Abby gave a start glaring, _never an off moment_, "yes, huh, what is it?" She furrowed her brow.

"_We are receiving a transmission; I think you may want to see this."_ Miranda replied.

"Is that really necessary?" _Even though I want to get to work, suddenly I just want to collapse in my cabin…just for five minutes_.

"Well, it's interesting, and it's a strategic decision about where we go from here." Miranda replied.

Abigail arched an intrigued eyebrow, "I'll be right there."

_Normandy-War Room_

And so she was, as she walked down the steps into the control pit. Miranda, Traynor, Ashley, and Cameron Shepard were all there waiting for her.

"Ash, you doing OK?" She asked starting off.

"Yeah," Ash said rolling her arms around, "Chakwas is a miracle worker."

_That she is,_ Abby smiled lightly.

"And what is up that requires my presence?"

Miranda and Traynor traded a look.

Traynor cleared her throat and started, "Well we have received a message, a request for a communication from…Ranaak Kurl."

Abigail crossed her arms over her chest, "wanted to gloat did he?"

"No," Miranda frowned, "I think it would be better if we let him explain."

Before Abby could say no, _before she could even say yes_, the large Krogan warlord towered over her in the center of the table.

"Ah, Captain Abigail Shepard…congratulations on the promotion by the way."

"Save the pleasantries, you are using up valuable bandwidth, and I don't have the time to fence."

He sighed, "I suppose since our last meeting ended in fire you would say that and believe this, but I come here in peace. And to make an offer. The offer is to allow you and your convoy to come to Omega and use it for repairs and a base of operations."

"Convoy? What convoy?" The Captain decided to play dumb, and draw Kurl out.

"Please Captain I am not a fool, little happens in the Terminus System without my notice. Especially a major battle between human or Alliance forces. Quite the noteworthy incident in and of itself."

"Alright," Abby glared, "that brings us to why?"

"I owe you a favor," Kurl replied simply, "and not being a fool I know that an aggressive Alliance could be a danger, to us all, to my meager gains. I know you have a powerful warship and connections, we are obviously stronger together then we are separate. And besides, you need a place to put the civilian population you are now holding down, because you cannot run missions while they are in tow. Everyone wins."

_Good point, _"Alright," Abigail stated, "We'll think about it."

"Do so quickly." Kurl replied before his image faded from the screen.

Abigail glanced at Miranda arching an eyebrow, "Do we trust him?"

"Do we have a choice?" Cameron shrugged off to her side.

"Perhaps," Miranda mused, "why would he make the offer he wasn't at least partially genuine?"

"He could be trying to capture us and when we are in his clutches, turn us over to the Alliance." Abigail offered.

"Unlikely," Miranda shook her head, "he was right. Soren seems discontent in sticking to Earth only, we know him and his forces are using the Council to gain political leverage and control throughout the entire Galaxy. He knows that Omega is unlikely, even with his efforts, able to withstand such a storm if it comes to his door. He also knows that we are in possession of a powerful warship which could be an effort to him if it comes to that. Plus he does have a major trade depot and control center for much of that region of space."

"Alright," Abigail came forward shrugging, "He could be meaning to deal with us himself, he knows we are vulnerable."

"Also unlikely, but possible." Miranda nodded.

"We have ways of dealing with that possibility." EDI pointed out.

"I suppose," Abby sighed, "Ash? Cameron?"

"I'm for it, better then running around the stars just waiting for someone to kill us." Ashley said leaning against the console.

"I don't know the guy," Cameron grumbled, "I wasn't a part of this situation, I did not fight in a Krogan Civil War…that was Ashley's department…in my universe anyways."

Abigail and Ashley traded smiles at that particular revelation.

"And since Wrex survived…well no that is off topic. The point is we need allies. And Omega is a lot more stable then Horizon, and as long as we can secure Hudson's show…" Cameron glanced at Miranda and EDI.

"We can." EDI replied.

"Then we won't make the same mistake we did the first time and can lie low, for a while, hopefully." Cameron pointed out.

"Alright, if everyone is convinced this is the right course of action…Ashley, set it up. But make sure we have a way out; I only want to take a Kodiak in. Keep the _Normandy_ and the squad safe until I can determine if Kurl is actually genuine or not. I will lead down a minimalist squad."

"Sounds good enough for me, I'll set it up." Ashley said nodding.

"Good, get it done people." Abigail Shepard said nodding herself, and leaving the room.

_Deck 3-A little later_

Abigail Shepard tapped her fingers on the counter of the dining room as her Frappuccino basically made itself. The new machine whirred and grunted rhythmically trying to mash all the ingredients into a smooth pulp. _Some things never change even with modern technology_, Abigail muttered to herself.

The beverage finished with a beep and she took it and sniffed at it gingerly before taking a sip, she turned back to the center of the room to watch the two men sitting there, staring back at her.

James was smirking, "So Lola, a Frap maker? Where did you get one of those?"

"It was a gift from the Horizon planetary Governor," Abby smirked over the rim of the drink, "and since I haven't had one of these in…ages…not really since I was assigned to Earth in the wake of Torfan…I just didn't realize how much I had missed taking these drinks."

Cameron and James traded a bemused look.

"So really? What options do you think we have right now? With us going to see Kurl? Any opinions?" Shepard asked.

"It's loco." James shrugged, "We were killing the guy and trying to stop his forces from winning a Civil War?"

Cameron put his cup of coffee down and shrugged, "me? I read the reports, what I could get on them anyways. The guy seems like a nut case…I guess people can change though."

_Oh don't I know it,_ "But the problem is not can they change but if Ranaak Kurl has. Even if he is helping us now he could just be using us for his own agenda."

"Exactly," Cameron muttered. "I would like to believe he is honest, just…"

"We can't be sure, so we are walking into the situation blind." Abigail finished.

Cameron arched his head to the side and nodded slightly.

The three of them were quiet after that, just sipping and enjoying the atmosphere, and with nothing else left to say on this issue they didn't feel the need to say anything, at least as a group.

"Well," Cameron grunted setting his coffee down as he got up, "on that pleasant note I should go…to bed."

"See ya Cameron," Abigail smiled at him as he left.

"Hasta luego loco." James finished.

Abigail stared at James, James stared at Abigail, he turned around in the seat he was on and patted the seat beside him. She moved to join him sitting on his lap.

His hands went around her waist holding her close, "Whoa Lola, you're tense, hard as a rock."

"It's been a long day." She sighed.

"Right," James grunted starting to knead her, she smiled and closed her eyes. "So… Chakwas gave you a clean bill of health?"

Abigail nodded automatically, "Uh huh, well I don't think I'll be doing too much, not at first. Going to be doing a lot of standing around and waiting for someone to come to me with an issue…or deaing with a psychopathic Krogan with delusions of God hood."

"You know what day it is today right?" James asked.

She sighed, "No James, I'm not exactly up on what day it is. You know me." She chuckled nervously.

"It's your birthday."

"My biirtthhhddaaay?" She asked.

"Yeah, April 11th?"

"Wow." Abby grunted.

"Yeah, you are thirty six years old." James teased.

She rolled her eyes, "Thanks for reminding me."

"Yeah, so what do you want to do to celebrate?" He said huskily.

She didn't say anything, thinking on it for a moment.

"Well, who knows Lola?" He muttered. "I just know you've been hard to track down recently, haven't been in the quarters a lot."

"I've been busy," She grunted sitting up straighter, "you know, running a major war."

"Yeah, ok, but you've been hard to find, I've been a bit worried about you."

She smiled slightly sighing, "thanks James, but I'm fine, just needed some time to sort through some stuff."

She felt James nod against her back. "Yeah…well its a few hours before we get to Omega, we have time for a break, want to come to bed?"

She smirked devishly as James began to tickle her neck, "Yeah, now that sounds like a good idea."

She got up and stretched before walking away, James followed her a few seconds later.

…

"_Hello, sorry for the delay but the Government forces had successfully invaded us and pushed us out of Horizon. But we are alive, we are secure, and we will continue to stand for as long as we can, against the night, and for the truth. For the freedom and Liberty of all the peoples in the Galaxy. _

_This is the Voice of the Resistance." _

**AN: **Well as it happens today IS actually Shepard's birthday and I did manage to actually get this out today. Despite having a pretty busy day with a lot of stuff I have been doing throughout the day. Fun fun fun for the whole family.

So happy birthday to Captain Abigail Shepard and to all the other Shepard's out there.


	16. Chapter 16

_Normandy-Gunnery_

Abigail Shepard walked down the long neck of the _Normandy's_ towards the main battery. The door opened before her and there Garrus was…calibrating.

She smiled up at him, "Garrus."

He turned around to face her. "Shepard, it's been a while." His mandibles twitched.

"Yeah it's been pretty…"

"Busy? Yeah I know the feeling, and that you'd say that." Garrus grunted turning back to his work.

_OK… _"So how is work?"

The Turian General chuckled before her. "Well considering it's been a while since I've been down here, it is kind of hard to remember where all the buttons are. Plus I've had to recalibrate the system, during the war I calibrated it enough but someone messed up all my hard work so now I have had to fix it."

"And you wouldn't have it any other way," Abigail smirked.

"Well," The Turian adopted a thoughtful posture, "during Horizon it's not like I got to actually fire this big gun. And it's also not like I've been taken on any of the parties we have. So calibrating…err…recalibrating this big gun is the best I can do it seems."

"Well, sure," Abigail said cryptically, "for now."

"Oh?" Garrus asked innocently.

She chuckled, "yeah thinking of taking you on the next mission. To see a Krogan warlord."

"Ranaak Kurl? I heard things about him during my intelligence files, not like we ever met in person. Should be fun."

"I doubt it," Abigail grunted, "even if he is legitimate I am sure he will do all sorts of weird things to us to get his way, all we can do is see. You are to provide the muscle."

"So, if I'm the muscle then…"

"I'm taking Cameron too." Abigail offered.

"Oh? Sure you don't want James?"

"Well, yeah, I certainly do. But the issue at hand is who will provide the ability for us to get out of there in one piece. Cameron will be there to hopefully make sure it doesn't get to that point, he has a cool head." Abigail explained.

"Makes sense," Garrus nodded, "Still, James is not going to be amused."

_Cargo bay_

"I'm not exactly happy about this Lola." James Vega commented as the away team gathered in the access hatch to the Kodiak

"Relax James it's just a simple meet and greet, we'll be in and out and back home before its time for tea and crumpets." Abigail muttered.

"Yeah, a simple meet and greet with someone who wanted to kill you the last time we met."

"At least he is letting us taking weapons in," Garrus pointed out as he took a Phaeston from the weapon's rack.

"Yeah," James returned sarcastically, "doesn't matter in the least when he has an entire space station where he controls a bunch of mercenary thugs."

"We'll be fine James." Cameron assured.

He sighed, "I just want to be there as all."

"Well," Abby smirked, "I need at least one person I know is here who can bail my butt out of the fire. Someone who is big, strong, and will tear down entire mountains…with his bare hands…if Kurl messes with his Lola."

"Hmm," He said pulling her by the waist into an embrace, dragging her nearly too where her active visor was touching his head "you sure know how to make a man tamer about sending you to the ravenous masses."

"I've had a lot of practice." She teased.

He nuzzled her nose and held her for a second; the mission could wait for a few more seconds, besides they weren't actually in the position to start this shindig.

"Come on you two could you get a room please?" Cameron groaned from the side.

She glanced at him, "What Cameron, you missing something?"

She felt James stiffen up as he too looked at the Commander.

"I suppose." He muttered turning away.

"Captain, we just arrived outside the transfer point to the Omega 2 relay. We're in position." Joker reported over the intercom.

She looked up at the ceiling, "Thank you Joker." She turned back to her 'significant other' "duty calls."

"Well," James snorted, "I'll just be sitting here with bated breath, make sure the cat is fed, the kids are tucked in, get some random crewman to clean the mess hall."

She snorted, "Thanks James, that'll be fine." They parted and she began climbing into the Kodiak with Cameron and Garrus already waited for her.

"Take care Lola." James replied.

She turned back to him as the engines powered up.

"You can count on it."

_Omega-Private Chambers_

_Well it certainly isn't Afterlife_, Abigail said as she entered the cramped, musky, 'quarters' of the Krogan warlord, Kurl, who was waiting for them. His throne was flanked by two Batarian body guards while a pair of Vorcha, a pair of Batarians, and another Krogan followed them in. All of them armed with various weapons of various descriptions. They were in a bit of a pickle though.

"Bit of a heavy guard isn't it? You afraid of something Kurl?" She teased.

"Yes Shepard, the last time we saw each other you were causing my men to run away, dragging me along. You defeated my guards. You defeated a large portion of my task force. So I am a bit weary of you."

"Then why'd you let me have our weapons?" Shepard asked.

"Figured you wouldn't come without them," Kurl barred his teeth, "and who is this?"

"Just another member of my crew," Abigail cut in before Cameron could say anything incriminatory. "So what do you want?"

"I told you Shepard, my only goal is to form an Alliance. I may not need you, you need me, and we can help each other." Kurl explained.

"OK, so then the question, is why? Not saying I won't do it, I am intrigued, but why?"

"We need each other…" Kurl attempted furrowing his brow.

Shepard shook her head, "Not really good enough Kurl, why me? We were just in battle the last time we met. I forced you to engage in a peace treaty, one you obviously didn't like or else you would still be on Tuchanka."

"I owe you a favor." The Krogan said plainly.

"A favor?" Abigail replied.

"Indeed." Kurl replied, brokering no further conversation.

"Well," Abigail grunted, "this isn't a trap or anything? You don't have a secret wish to try and kill us all? Make it look like an accident?"

"If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead. And I have no other agenda other than my own survival and freedom."

"Uh huh." Abigail grunted.

"You don't believe me?" Kurl tried.

Abigail cocked her head to the side pondering the problem for the moment, "To an extent. I believe you are being truthful about wanting freedom, but I am still not convinced about you having other objectives. But in truth I have little choice but to trust you, and since you haven't tried anything already you are probably genuine in at least wanting an Alliance. But if I was not in a quandary about where to put my Civilian Fleet I'd tell you to pound sand."

"I figured that would be your answer…and you have my word, as far as any official organization on Omega is concerned your Civilians will not be harmed."

She nodded, "We'll work on the details later, with the rest of my staff, the CO _Normandy_ and any other people you want to bring in. The coordination of food, medical supplies, temporary housing, that sort of thing."

"I look forward to it." Kurl barred his teeth again.

_I wonder if he is trying to look pleasant or aggressive_, Abby shivered as she left the room, _without the guard_.

_Omega Proper_

Abigail Shepard walked through the outer docking ring of Omega heading back for where her shuttle was parked, not at the 'normal' entrance considering it was just a shuttle and not the _Normandy_, a full sized Frigate.

_If anything can be called normal anymore_.

"Ah Captain! Excuse me Captain Shepard!"

She whirred around drawing her hand to the Eagle not exactly knowing what she could expect from the voice who was yelling at her. She tried to see where it was coming from, and noticed a Salarian crest bobbing up and down over to her.

"Ah Captain Shepard."

Abigail smiled, _though I'm still not exactly sure if it's him or not_, "Palin, is that you?"

"Indeed Shepard," He said extending his hand which the human soldier took.

"Palin! How are you?"

"Doing well, just had some lunch, been waiting at the docking cradles as soon as the rumors started."

"Rumors?" Abigail asked uncertainly.

"Yes that you were going to be meeting with Kurl."

She nodded slowly, "So what brings you to Omega? Weren't you busy on Tuchanka in the wake of the Disciple crisis?"

The Salarian scientist looked both directions, down each one off the long lanes as if he was trying to make sure he was alone. Abigail glanced both ways and only saw long lines of people moving about one way or another, it was then she realized, _Omega has become a lot busier since the last time we saw it_.

"Indeed, I was," Palin's head snapped back around suddenly causing Abby to start, "at least until the coup started. I held my position for a couple of days but they sent an STG team after me with a kill or capture order. I managed to get…well as you would probably say…'out of dodge'…in a hurry. Omega seemed the best place to regroup and recuperate."

The human Captain nodded slowly.

"Besides," Palin smiled, "I figured it wouldn't be long before you showed up here one way or another. Considering what this place means to the Terminus Systems."

"Indeed." Cameron muttered nodding.

Palin looked around startled at the two compatriots of Shepard's taking them in for the first time. Abigail had to smile lightly at it, _it was probably the first time he has seen Cameron and well Garrus for that matter._

"Ah, General Vakarian, I had no idea you were back with Shepard." Palin said finally glancing at Garrus.

"Good to finally meet you Dr. Solus, I have heard good things about your work from Shepard, though it's a pity we were never formally introduced on the mission…not that I recall anyways."

"Even if we were it was probably just in passing as you and Shepard were going off to save the day." Palin dismissed.

Garrus chuckled.

"And you are?" Palin asked suddenly.

Cameron moved to answer but Abby cut him off, "Uh he's, Cameron, Cameron….Shepard."

"Another Shepard?" Palin eyed the man. "Some long lost brother?"

"Something like that Palin, come on I'll fill you in on the details but not here, back on the _Normandy_ if you want to come?"

The Salarian shrugged, "better then hanging around here all the time I suppose, the place is dirty, messes with my concentration."

"Alright, this way please." She led him out, by the shoulder, out to where they kept the Kodiak.

As they got in and rocketed away Shepard made sure to glance back at Omega taking in every single nook and cranny and every passing starship. _The Space lanes sure seem crowded_ she concluded as the Kodiak surged into a brief FTL for the local Mass Relay.


	17. Chapter 17

_Space Lances_

The _Normandy_ hung in the middle of the space lanes about fifty thousand kilometers from Omega's cavernous hulk.

The Civilian Ships and shuttles they were still officially responsible for headed for Omega in a line, just under the _Normandy's_ bow. Not that the _Normandy _could do anything to stop Omega from tearing them to shreds, with Omega's powerful Cerberus enhanced main guns, and with the _Normandy_ not engaged in stealth drive at the moment.

All they could do was wait and see, once and for all, for Kurl to prove his loyalty or not.

A difficult decision for Shepard and the crew under any circumstance.

_Normandy-War Room_

Abigail Shepard walked into the center of the room as she watched the two people working on the problem they were facing, their mutual problem of how they were to turn around the war effort and move on. How to defeat the Leviathan's who were using their entire combined people's as the largest meat shield in the history of meat shields.

"Liara," Abigail said nodding, "Welcome back."

"Thanks, it's good to be back, though I think I will be making my base on Omega for the time being, still not going to be available for the squad."

_Ok_. "So what have we got so far?"

"On how the Leviathan's were able to do it?" Liara arched her 'eyebrow' at the Captain, "we still aren't sure and can't be sure without anecdotal evidence on Earth. The big question is not 'how did they do it' but how did they do it with so much of the population in the Asari, Salarian, Turian, and Human populaces going along with it."

"They could've simply been seduced by a political message they found attractive?" Abigail smirked.

"True, but if the politicians are to blame for this then what now? What of the od messages and the other actions where Government has cracked down on their respective populations?"

"I don't know Liara," Abigail leaned forward onto the table, "some people just like their security"

The Asari information broker hesitated, "could an entire democratic society, every single member, be seduced so completely?"

Abby smiled, "Well that is a good point. No signs of resistance yet?"

"Not yet," Palin spoke.

Liara shook her head in agreement with the Salarian.

"So," Abigail thought aloud, "The question has looped around on itself: How did the Leviathan's achieve the subversion of our species and societies?"

"Well…the honest answer is we don't know." Liara admitted. "There are too many unknowns and we need more intelligence which frankly we do not have, nor is it easy to get more intelligence given the current geo political situation in Council Space right now."

"Any theories?" Abigail sighed.

"We know that the Levithan's use 'indoctrination spheres' to control people and other organics over vast distances by magnifying their own natural signals. We found one of them on the planet which led to this."

The sphere in question came up on the table and rotated before them, Shepard stared at it and shivered.

"And?"

Liara and Palin traded a look before she spoke, "And we know that the Reapers modified and perfected this process for their own indoctrination process and the subversion of alien governments, but…well the process for the Leviathan destroys Organic tissue and causes severe pressure in the brain."

_Yeah, one killer nose bleed and a headache it took me two days to get over_. "We know this, is there anything actually to report?"

"We just don't know Shepard," Palin grunted, "we suspect they used their spheres to take over and they are using them to control the population, but the question is…how? Are they using it all the time? Or in doses? Are they targeting specific individuals? Or a blanket across an entire planet? How are they avoiding causing brain death among billions of people on any planet? And how pervasive are the effects if they are only doing it in small doses? How many people have been affected if they are only doing it to individuals? What are the effects?"

"I would hope 'how to stop it' is among the list?" Shepard grumbled.

Palin sniffed sharply, "We have to understand it first. Without the ability to understand it we will not be able to learn how to stop it. Without being able to learn how to stop it we will never be able to. We need to find out what we are up against."

"Which," Liara cut in, "requires us to know how indoctrination works, how they are using it on the planetary populations, how to neutralize it, and to try and find any examples of experts who will be able to meet these objectives."

"Any ideas?" Abigail asked.

Liara and Palin traded another look frowning at one another.

"What?" Abigail asked annoyed.

"The only two known experts in Reaper indoctrination that has emerged since the war are Palin Solus and…" Liara gulped… "Keith Faulkner."

Abigail felt her eyes go buggy.

"Apparently Mr. Faulkner has been studying Reaper indoctrination from his prison facility, according to reports from the Broker network." Palin explained.

"Well, that's just great." The first human Spectre sighed. "Any ideas on where he is?"

"We…aren't entirely sure…but I will look into it."

"Alright, I guess that leaves us in that position, make it so, find him, we'll worry about the rest later."

"Fair enough."

Shepard was already starting to walk out, heading for the doors, and the crew deck.

…

Where she grabbed the coffee jug pouring its steaming contents into a mug, though she didn't go out for coffee she wanted to stay awake, and think.

As she finished a door off to her right caused her to turn around, nearly spilling the rest of the contents, to see who it was. Cameron was walking down the corridor rubbing at his eyes sleepily, taking one faltering step after another. Finally he noticed her and rubbed his eyes with certain finality.

"Shepard." He grunted.

"Shepard." She nodded.

He grunted and smirked at her, coming over to get his own coffee. She went to sit at the booth, he stayed behind for a second, and she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head.

"Can't sleep either?" She finally stated after a long searing sip of coffee.

"Nah, well I suppose I could, but I haven't been able to get a lot of sleep since coming here…and nor do I want to… after all every time I close my eyes…"

"Miranda?" Abigail turned to her…brother.

His eyes flitted over to her quarters, "Yeah, Miranda…and well you to a certain extent."

"Me?" She smirked. "I probably wouldn't mention that to James."

He barked a laugh, "Ha, no. Just…I wonder how we could be the same but so different."

"I take it you've read my file?"

He chuckled, "Well yeah, I peaked at it…but no not really. It is more how you act, around people, towards people. So ruthless, so unnerving, so sure of yourself and your mission that you will do anything to anyone to see it through. So...why?"

"Well, been born on Earth, raised in a tough environment, some of that had to wear off even to this day." She smiled.

"Come on Abby, that can't be all of it."

"It isn't." She admitted.

"Well?" Cameron pressed.

But instead of answering the Commander was met with a cold, complete, steel, wall, he lingered for a few seconds, staring her down, hoping to suck the answer out of the Captain. But she wouldn't budge. So the Commander, with a sigh, moved to sit down next to her.

"What are you afraid of Abby?"

She looked at him, arching her eyebrow, now it was her turn to try and determine the soul of her opposite number, how much she should admit.

"Of losing control."

"Control is just an illusion." Cameron smirked.

"Says the man who chose it as his option." She smirked back.

They shared moment, but slowly, her smile turned into a frown, she had to glance away.

"It's not of my crew, my ship, my society, my freedom's, my life…I'm afraid of losing control of myself…I had to do a lot of…things…during my life on Earth. Trying to survive, in poverty, and fear. Trying to live off the bones and scraps of society." She sighed. "No I'm not afraid of losing control of the things around me, I am afraid of losing control of me, of becoming that scared little girl again."

"But you've grown, you've matured since then." Cameron groped.

"Yeah sure," She nodded, "but looks what we are up against, look at the forces arrayed against us. This is worse than the Reapers, worse than everything else; the entire Galaxy is up in arms against us. The Leviathan's can work their way into your head, society, and it seems they have done so. Who knows who is safe?"

"Yeah but you can't let that control you, to let you throw away your principles."

"No, it won't…"

"And if it does?"

She smiled wanly, "Well then I trust you to put me down if I get out of control."

He blinked at her, his mouth hung open, she just shrugged at him.

"So why don't you let me speak for myself? I mean when you introduce me."

Abigail nodded, "Well, I don't know honestly, you are an unknown, it might be best if we keep it that way for a while. I mean how do you explain, in the middle of Omega no less, that you are my long lost brother from another universe? You could be an asset and an ace in the hole; I don't want to reveal your nature unless I have to."

"Makes sense, still its annoying." Cameron nodded.

"Life usually finds ways to annoy us, may they all be so small."

"I'll drink to that."

The two of them clinked their coffee mugs together and took a gulping drink, Abby's coffee had cooled just enough where it was not so uncomfortable on the ride down, but it wasn't cold enough where it was completely ruined. _Just right_, in other words.

"You know," Cameron smirked, "it feels kind of ironic being forced to play twenty questions with you like this. Trying to find out what makes you tick."

"Well, we have been too busy fluttering around the Galaxy to do very much talking to one another. And in a sense we were 'separated at birth', so we've been busy, and this is the first real chance we have had to talk."

"I hear that." Cameron agreed.

"So…ask all the questions you want to." She pressed.

"Well…how did you and James end up together?" Cameron asked.

"Well, he proposed to me…right over there actually." She gestured rhythmically over to the side, towards the memorial wall.

"Wow, but that's not what I meant." Cameron explained brow furrowing.

"Yeah, bit creeped out that I could fall for James since we seem so…related?" Abigail asked.

"Something like that."

"Well…" She smiled, "He's a goofball. But he's _my_ goofball. Passionate, strong, caring, he uses his humor and the flirting to hide all the pain he's been through, but yet is quite loyal once you have proven you have earned the right. And that is something I need, something I can empathize with."

"Fair enough." Cameron nodded.

"Anything else?" Abigail snorted into the dregs of her coffee.

"Well, I still haven't gotten a good answer of what happened on Torfan."

And Abby felt the walls closing down on her mind again.

_Normandy-CIC_

Abigail Shepard stroked the railing of the Galaxy Map absentmindedly as it was currently off, the ship was now at stand down, and night shift, since their entire fleet was now safely under Omega's envelope. The Civilians themselves were now being processed with the surviving members of the Horizon Marines and a few of the _Normandy_ security forces, providing security and consulting with their opposite numbers.

_So everything is quiet_, Abigail sighed; _she just had to get away and couldn't sleep_. She could feel the tendrils of doubt and angst starting to climb into her skull, slamming into her brain. _Why though? Why is this so tough, I know what happened on Torfan, I was there, I have changed, so why is it so hard for me to talk about?_

The answer, _I don't know, but I just am…afraid…of.._

"Shepard." Ashley's voice announced behind her.

She whirred around going for her Eagle pistol, which was not there.

"Sorry," The Commander frowned at her, "I didn't mean to startle her."

"No, it's…alright." Abigail glanced to the side and rolled her neck around trying to get it back in its joints, "So what's up?"

"Just figured I would run over the reports with you, just got done talking with Adams." Ashley reported.

Abigail nodded, and waited, then frowned at Ash, "And?"

"Adams got in touch with Kurl and they believe they can reset the _Normandy's_ systems, and reboot the stealth drive, and get _Normandy's_ systems back to spec…with a little manipulation and some fine tuning from our end."

"Isn't that ironic," Abby smirked wryly, "That the only place in the Terminus Systems and renegade Kurl in general, has the facilities capable of repairing the _Normandy_ which in some cases is a pretty big undertaking."

"Well, it is a big honking space station." Ashley pointed out innocent sounding.

Abigail snorted, "Yeah, I guess. Anything else?"

"Well, the civilian population is getting recycled through Omega…and well that really is it, all quiet on the western front." Ashley reported.

"Well, that's good…for now-"

"Captain Shepard?" Liara reported over the intercom.

Abigail and Ashley glanced at one another, 'see what you did', Abby mouthed, 'sorry' her subordinate mouthed back.

"What is it?" Abigail asked the sky.

"Palin and I have found Keith."

Abigail blinked, "Liara, do you know what time it is?"

"Well, we figured that it was not a good time to wait for this to all fall into place on this end. Naturally we figured you'd want to know as soon as we got something." Liara replied.

She sighed, "We'll be right there." She started to head for the elevator turning for Ashley. "Assemble the squad in the War Room in five minutes."

"And where are you going?" Ashley asked.

"To get a coffee." Abigail said as the door closed.

_War Room_

And so Abby did, bringing it to the briefing, her Frappuccino. Garrus was MIA but other than that the entire squad was there, plus the distinguished guests of Palin and Liara.

"Well?" Abigail asked rolling the cup around in her hand.

"He is being held here," Traynor reported manipulating the controls.

A…_rock?_...came up on the screen rotating slowly, Abigail squinted her eyes at it, recognizing it from somewhere.

"It's a Prison facility," Liara explained, "Alliance high security in the same star system as Terra Nova."

"That's X-57?" Abigail asked.

"Well, no," Liara commented, "but it was one of the ones they were scouting out as a prospect, and the Alliance swooped in and converted it into a prison facility for high risk or dangerous individuals. These individuals are also capable, in this setting, for limited research and extracurricular hobbies."

"Wonderful," Abby harrumphed, "Anyone else we know in that place?"

"All the other records are sealed, the only reason we know Faulkner is there because I have shipping receipts as he went through the Terra Nova assembly"

"Well, that's great, an impenetrable asteroid base, deep in Alliance Territory, keeping the people there safe from harm. What could be better?"

"Well," Liara punched in her own commands, "there is a gala being run on Terra Nova to help celebrate…something or other. The point is there are several dignitaries in attendance including the warden of the prisons."

"So, I infiltrate the party, seduce the warden, get his ident card, then we sneak into the facility. That is just fantastic."

"Whoa Lola," Vega piped in, "who said anything about you seducing anyone? I mean infiltration is not exactly your specialty."

"Relax Vega it's only for show." Abigail replied.

"Well no, I mean, have you seen your seduction skills? Didn't exactly work out do they?"

"They seemed to work on you well enough." She shot back.

The man smirked, "Well yeah, but if you didn't notice it took you a while to wear me down, and that was mostly on your looks Lola."

She scowled fiercely, _Well, the man has a point_.

"Let me do it." Cameron volunteered.

Abigail glanced over at her brother.

"I have the training, the skills, and frankly you probably shouldn't be anywhere near there, who knows who will recognize you. I'm an unknown."

"Well there is various ways to disguise myself." Abby countered, _but there are a million ways to defeat that…_

"Well, but this plan requires you to be in tight proximity, to _seduce_ someone. Someone who is prominent in the local Government, someone who is prominent enough to probably have his own security. If there is even a chance, whether you go as a busty blond with a bunny tail," out of the corner of Abigail's eye she saw James smirk, "and they recognize you, it's not worth taking that chance."

"Alright, fair enough, but they guy is a man you do know that right?"

Cameron nodded, "Well, yeah…"

"I can use a disguise I have not utilized before and seduce the target." EDI pointed out.

"Oh this should be good." James snorted.

Abigail considered the problem, "Alright, we all go. I know security is tight but it sounds like this is a great big Government ball celebrating their new found power. It will be packed, people will be moving around. EDI and Cameron will be on point to seduce the target and get the ident chip. Cameron, you and…" she gulped _but this is the best way_, "Miranda will provide a distraction on the perimeter. Cynthia you and Paul are going to be in deep, causing another distraction. Me and James will be on the waiter staff, I trust you can set up our credentials Liara?"

"Oh most definitely." Liara nodded.

"Which just leaves EDI to seduce the target; we can work on the rest of the details en route."

The squad turned each one to another each of them nodding.

"Well if that's all, crew dismissed."

And with that they slowly filed out.


	18. Chapter 18

_Langston Foundation Complex_

"Hey baby, nice ass."

Abigail Shepard marched down the aisle by the bar, a bar filled with leering men watching her tail as she went by…_her literal tail_. She rolled her eyes and felt her fist curl up into a ball then flex appropriately outwards. Her normal appearance had changed almost completely from what it was just a few hours before; she wore makeup which gave her skin a pale white sheen, almost like what it was just after she came out of the Lazarus project. Her hair, a dirty blond, her back was left exposed by the low cut dress and a little bunny tail was attached to the fabric on the back. _This was one of _those_ kinds of clubs_. And she did not honestly know if this were a new thing or if the assembly of Terra Nova was always this vulgar.

"Yeah Lola, nice rear end." James commented over the intercom snapping her out of the wave of thoughts.

She turned to the bar toad and gave him a smile, "Sorry sir, I am a waitress, not a _pole dancer_, if you want to persist though you can take it up with my boss, he was a veteran of the Reaper War, ate Brutes for lunch." She said as sweetly and diplomatically as she could. _It helps you when you aren't lying either_.

The man blanched and went back to his drink.

She walked off making sure to put the sway into her steps making sure she was 'in character' for her cover, a waitress at a slightly upscale and adult night club in Terra Nova's Capitol City.

"Thanks James." She whispered into her coms.

"Don't mention it Lola, oh and Cameron and EDI are about to be on the premises."

Abigail nodded heading over to the railing to watch them come in.

"Now announcing," The majordomo announced, "Cameron Mitchell and the lady Elizabeth Darlington Ingram."

Abigail snorted at the moniker. But EDI came into the room on Cameron's arm in a red dress swinging her hips and marching in a perfectly measured stride; Abigail stealthily scanned the other railing, and was surprised at the timing as their target was also glancing down at the newcomers. Abigail glanced down following his eye path, and sure enough he was following EDI with his eyes.

"Alright, we have the target in sight and he is definitely interested in EDI." Abigail murmured into her intercom separating herself from the crowd, and then moved to get an order from a passing couple.

"Good, this should be easier than I thought." EDI vocalized.

"Don't get cocky now," Miranda provided, "I wouldn't take the bet his interest surviving long enough to see you awkwardly seduce him."

"That's why they invented alcohol," Cameron commented over the nets, "that and what I'm for. No woman who looks more desirable then one on the arm of another man."

"I'm hurt." EDI intoned.

"Guys," Abby snapped, "knock it off; you look silly talking to each other and moving your mouths when no one is around…oh hi." She commented to a passerby nervously.

Her announcement was met with a few audible snickers on the line but nothing more.

The Majordomo started up again, "announcing Paul Jackson and Cynthia Leighy."

_Smooth guys_. She looked around, _alright that should be everyone…and the music is just about to start too_.

"Alright heads up everyone, the show is about to begin." Abigail whispered, running her eyes over the room before everything went too hay wire, sticking to the shadows, running this op like she was a puppeteer.

And sure enough she heard the doors to the tower hiss close and the crowd to adopt a hushed, anticipatory tone, now that the last of the advisers had arrived, it was on to the official party. The display of sin and debauchery, the celebration of a people who had gone mad.

"Helllloooo Terra Nova! Are you ready to ruummmmbbllllee?!"

_Oh please_, Abigail thought, but the crowd roared, _like a bunch of teenagers at a rage_, she glanced around, then smirked, _I should know, I was one of those…occasionally. _

"I can't hear you!"

"Oh God." Miranda gagged on the com; _probably everyone was too busy focusing on the man to pay attention to her._

"Well then come on Terra Nova, let's celebrate! The new age for us all!"

_For you all maybe._

The crowd rushed forward, smoke canisters exploded from the top of the room, the lights darkened dramatically, strobe lights and laser beams started to shine on the crowd, and people's bodies hugged close to one another as they 'celebrated'. The atmosphere was confused, loud, and dark. For all of its impropriety and weirdness Abigail felt her shoulders relax slightly, she breathed out slowly. _Perfect, now I can move around more freely, no one is going to be able to get a good look at me, or are too drunk to care_.

She caught James's eye as he was over by a wooden pillar and nodded, _it's on_.

Within seconds Miranda rushed forward towards two of the guards.

"Hi," Abigail heard her say over the intercom, "I'm really sorry about this but I downloaded this new app for my Omni-tool…the guy I brought it from said it would make me really cool…its called the intersect…but I think the alchol is doing a better job of making me cool! Or tipsy!" She giggled.

Abigail glanced over at her, and saw the now blond with her hair tied up in a bun.

The guards glanced nervously at one another but weren't paying attention to anything else going on around them. And that was the point of the entire exercise.

Abigail glared through the smoke and the strobes and the dancing bodies searching for the chamber of the Terra Nova prison system. And he was over by the bar, watching EDI and Cameron dance on the floor.

"EDI, Cameron, he is watching you. I suggest you go over and introduce yourself."

And EDI and Cameron just went over on to the bar automatically, right next to the particular target, and his nervous and annoyed looking guard detail.

"Hi, I'm Craig, Crag Anderson." The man poked EDI on her shoulder and offered her a hand.

_That was fast_, Abby arched an eyebrow, _and man must be pretty drunk_.

"I'm ED…Elizabeth…Ingram."

"Yeah I know Edlizabeth…one of us must be pretty drunk." The man slurred.

"I'm Cameron, Cameron Mitchell by the way, my friends call me shaft."

Abigail winced; _I knew that was a bad idea._

"Are you two serious?" The man said simply, and with baited breath.

"We are not mutually exclusive if that is what you mean," EDI _tried_ to purr, and it came out as some sort of weird grunt.

Abigail groaned.

"Here's to non-exclusivity" The man saluted himself before bashing himself on the head with a drink, and then managed to get a gulping sip of it.

"Sir, we really should go for the night." One of his guards commented.

"Just a few more minutes," He whined.

_This could be…problematic_. Abigail frowned her mind reaching for ways to solve the problem, there were just too many guards around, and if the guy's handlers were about to handle him out of the building they could lose their only chance.

"Oh what have we here!" The announcer announced, the music stuttered and started up with a steady tango, but kinda a techno tango.

Abigail curious, as apparently were most of the guards and other onlookers, moved over to the side of the railing to look down onto the main and 'upscale' dance floor.

What she saw made her grin but her eyes widened in the audacity of it.

Paul and Cynthia were moving across the long dance floor, the other dancers had moved off the floor and were staring, their expressions hard to read, not that Abby could see them much so hypnotized by the display beneath her.

Paul dragged Cynthia along in time with the rhythm, holding her body close to his, entwining around each other, the guards would probably pounce on the Romeo for the display and bravado, if music weren't involved. One of Cynthia's feet were on Paul's, the other was crooked and swaying in motion with the music, clearly rubbing against him. Paul was concentrating on what he was doing but was enjoying himself, his head buried by the tall and busty blond in sleeveless blue dress.

He spun her around and she twirled off into the distance about a foot, and he pounced after wards, catching her and wrapping the muscular woman in his enfolding arms, close to each other, desperately so, but they did not kiss. Instead they picked up the pace again holding each other arm out, slightly prancing across the floor, Paul tore her around, in a flurry of fabric, and then dipped her, racing a hand along her body and placing his lips down on hers.

But they weren't done yet, as the other dancers moved to join them, even some people on the railing moved to go down where the real action was at.

Abigail merged back into the crowd heading back for the bar.

"Piece of candy go for a ride?" She heard EDI ask.

Abigail ripped her head around her eyes widening at the suggestion, and she saw EDI sticking head out well into the administrator's personal bubble. Somehow Cameron managed to sneak around behind him.

"Uh what?"

EDI frowned, and tried again, "Come on why don't you and I blow this joint and have a real night," She said grabbing at his upper leg.

"Uh yeah, sure, that might be…fun." The man said, but he backed up slightly.

_Oh for crying out._

"Hey! That's my girlfriend!" Cameron said as he ripped the man around to face him and slugged him across the jaw with a meaty fist.

Abby winced as the man fell to the floor, sprawling out; his guards were on Cameron within seconds.

"Hey, no one talks to my woman like that, even if she is interested in him! The cheating good for nothing!" Cameron raged.

"Oh Charles," EDI said going over to the fallen man's side, kneeling next to him looking all concerned, "Cameron how could you!" She squealed pointing an accusatory finger at him.

_Good girl_, Abby thought as she saw EDI's wrist flash for the briefest of seconds.

"Oh, come on he was insulting your honor, who wouldn't want to go out with a pretty little thing like you!" Cameron protested.

"Sir, you are really drunk, and you need to find a new girlfriend, but right now you are no longer welcome here." One of the guards said in his ear as they both maneuvered off to a side exit.

"Hey wait a minute! I have rights!" Cameron wailed.

"Come on, let's go." Abby said into her com, as she found her way out, the crew finding as alternate exits as they could, blending back into the crowd.

_The street outside_

"I take it you got the information we need to make duplicates?" Abigail asked.

"It was a synch babe."

"EDI…could you please…stop acting drunk…please." Abby begged.

"Yes Commander."

"EDI." Abigail chastised.

"Sorry Captain."

"Yeah, well I think I nearly sprained my hand on that guy's jaw, who knew such a spineless politician could have a rock solid jaw?" Cameron asked coming forward and flexing his fingers.

Abigail smiled and continued to look around, "And you two!" She said at Paul and Cynthia, "that was kind of reckless…but also a little hot…well played."

The two traded a look and smile.

"So, now what?" James asked.

Abigail felt a chill go down her back, "Well we begin phase two of the operation and get into our better clothes." Her teeth chattered.

They all nodded their consent and moved to do that.

They walked across the street to a bathroom, and Abby was the first one to walk in, she got the duffle bag out she stashed there earlier and ripped out the suit and clothes, and hair color remover, she kept handy.

Time was still of the essence so she dressed into the drab white overalls and slacks quickly, stained with paint and other signs of construction dust. She first applied the hair color remover allowing her hair to appear back as its natural red, and pulled the wide brimmed hat back over her head.

She glanced in the mirror at the drab mixture of grays and whites, the hat covering and hiding her features, her eyes just barely glaring out of the darkness. Satisfied at the change in appearance from cocktail waitress to grizzled construction worker she left the building hefting a private suitcase with her.

The rest of the squad followed her or Paul Leighy depending on their gender, into the bathrooms and dressed. The entire process took about five minutes.

_But since EDI didn't actually have to steal the man's ident card I suppose we have a lot of time, he is going to have to take a long long time to recover from the head ache…and the broken jaw._

The squad came out, all of them wearing various versions of what she was wearing, aside from Paul Leighy who looked like the rich business executive in his suit. _Alright, he's on point posing as the executive and foreman, and the rest of us are his crew_.

With that transformation completed EDI began to distribute the Scorpion pistols to the fire teams, Abigail, Miranda, Cynthia, and Cameron, Paul, James.

"Alright everyone, good luck."

The assembled group surged for their drop zone and the Kodiak shuttle which was waiting to take them to their next bit of cover, another starship in range of the prison.

As the door popped open Cortez was there to greet them, "Ma'am, James, gang…how did the party go?"

"I think I have a headache and am a bit wasted, other than that looking forward to getting the next party started." Abigail smiled wanly as she climbed into the cargo compartment.

Cortez nodded as the rest of the squad followed their commanding officer, all of them finding jump seats and strapping themselves in.

The Kodiak's back was quiet as it ascended rapidly into the skies, breaching the atmosphere of Terra Nova leaving it behind as the Kodiak's engines roared in its effort to escape the gravity well. Abigail glanced out front window the entire ride up, as the clouds and the darkness parted to an even purer darkness as they breached into the stars. The Kodiak shuttered and a brief feeling of weightlessness descended as the crew had to get used to the change in gravity and the Kodiak's systems kicked in.

Abigail waited a second before unstrapping and looking at her squad, "Alright, we are going to be raiding an Alliance Prison facility. I don't need to tell you how dangerous this is going to be. And as far as we know the people there are completely innocent and are just following orders and are _not_ involved in any criminal conspiracy. This means that, unless we find ourselves under dire circumstances, we deal with them by non-lethal means. The Scorpions have been loaded with overload grenades, but we do have the ability to defend ourselves if necessary. Are we clear?"

The crew nodded slowly at her.

"Good, then sit back and enjoy the ride." She settled back into her seat.

The Kodiak rocketed off into the distance, heading for the asteroid complex, and their fate.

…_  
"In the time of ultimate power and control, when people have control over your life, your livelihood, your actions, and the actions of those around you, when they have given you an ultimate sense of security, it gives you license to act irresponsibly. _

_And the power elite, so satisfied in their own power, so seduced by it, that they begin acting irresponsibly, using sex, drugs, doing whatever they want to anyone they want, because they have the control."_

"_This then continues the vicious cycle of gluttony, feeding on itself until we need the politicians for control. Until we need them running our lives because we have forgotten how, this is the cycle we risk getting into."_

**AN: **So what do you get when you cross Chuck, Alias, Star Gate SG-1, and weirdness all together? (sorry If I am missing someone)…well this. :D

And well this was fun and wild and it might not be the best written or the most dramatic or emotion chapter, but I had a blast writing it. And the music that I used as a base for the Paul/Cynthia scene is Shepard's tango, from the Citadel.

Anyways read, review, comment, shower me with adoration or tear me to pieces I care not! Well I do care just saying that if you don't think it was very good you could always explain it constructively and I will get back to you. ;)


	19. Chapter 19

_Alliance High Security Prison Facility_

Abigail Shepard stayed in the wake of Paul Leighy, along with the rest of the squad, as they approached the welcome desk on the Prison Facility floor. Shepard peaked out from around Leighy's back side just in time to see the person sitting at the desk to take his old style newspaper, folding it neatly, and standing to face the oncoming group of people, a hand reaching for a side arm.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Here for maintenance on the prison's electrical and ventilation systems."

"There wasn't anything about this in the log." The guard grunted.

"Check again."

He eyed them for a second, "Well I guess it wouldn't hurt," he said toggling his Omni-tool and bringing up the stations inventory, he blinked, "Well…you are on the dossier."

"Thank you."

"Still you guys seem a bit…much…to be put in here for this job."

"Oh?" Paul asked.

"Yeah just…" he sighed "never mind, go on through."

Paul nodded and they went, as a group, to the maintenance and entrance elevator at the far side of the drab complete gray corridor. When they were alone in the elevator, they waited five seconds, before proceeding to rip their coveralls and their business suits off; each one of them opened their work suitcases, and wriggled into their appropriate sets of armor appropriately.

"I miss the bunny suit." James remarked feigning disappointment.

"You better watch it James that thing was all sorts of uncomfortable." Abigail snorted over to the side.

"Well they don't wear them for comfort but so men can just sit there and drool." Cynthia pointed out grinning.

"Or women." Miranda pointed out.

Abigail and some of the gang, including Cameron, turned to her.

"What? Just saying."

Their conversation was interrupted before it could continue any further as the elevator shuttered to a stop allowing them to enter the corridor.

And it was just one long row of doors and indentation in the rock leading on down the corridor in an infinite series of cells, though only a few of these would be occupied at one time. _Better to be safer than sorry I guess_, Abigail grunted.

"Alright, this is it, split up into two teams and look for Keith, EDI will be able to help us from the Kodiak if you find him. Remember to stun anyone you come across. And hope we don't set off any alarms. EDI you ready?" She asked the ceiling.

"Affirmative Shepard." EDI replied in her ear.

Abigail un-holstered her Scorpion pistol as her squad followed in her of Miranda and Cynthia. She checked her corners as Cameron, Paul, and James, moved along the other side of the corridor in the other direction down a side group.

A guard popped up in front of them and Abigail fired the Scorpion before he could get even a 'hey!' out. Abigail looked around securing the area.

"Uh, Shepard, we don't exactly have a lot of these." Cynthia muttered behind her.

"Yeah, your point?" Abby quizzed.

"Well, I'm just thinking there are not a lot of overlord grenades, and we don't know how many guards there are down here…yet we have to stun anyone we come across."

She smiled wryly, "yeah maybe not the most complete plan in the universe but it's the only one we got."

"At least we have our weapons." Cynthia glanced at Shepard's Valkyrie hanging off the back port.

"Yeah," _I hope we don't have to use them_.

And they continued on through the labyrinthine structure, at least five levels of high security cell blocks, and at least a hundred cells per level, and of course most of these were not only not filled, but were in fact decoys.

"Hey!"

Cynthia's screeched out and disabled the guard before he could do anything else.

"That was too close," Miranda said, before her gun came up and she defeated yet another guard.

"I am actually a bit surprised by the lack of security and there aren't any mechs around." Abigail muttered.

"Its space, they have nowhere to go." Miranda paraphrased.

"Yeah, I guess." She sighed, "We need help, EDI?"

"Risking an active scan could alert the facility that we are here."

_As usual_ Abigail muttered. "Alright EDI stay on it."

"We even sure we want to risk this?" Cynthia commented. "We are taking an awfully big risk for a total scum bag."

"A total _indoctrinated_ scum bag, apparently that means he has information we want, that is something that we will need." Abigail continued.

"Well, yeah, but you and Miranda beat indoctrination, can't we just learn what we learned from you?"

"And apply it to a population of _billions_," Miranda pointed out, "and we aren't sure what the exact process is, the differences between Reaper indoctrination and Leviathan. And besides we just can't drag an entire planet in for psychological testing to get their demons all worked out, you know how long that would take?"

"Fine." Cynthia groused.

"Captain I may have a suggestion," EDI reported over the intercom.

"Shoot EDI."

"I can fake a power loss, that should open the cell doors currently occupied for emergency situations and to keep the air running as long as possible, but only the doors of any of the cells currently occupied."

"But that will alert the guards that something is up." Abigail commented.

"Yes but it should allow your Omni-tools greater range of access and then it should also prohibit their movement." EDI reported.

"And ours."

"I'm not sure we have a choice."

Abby sighed, "Alright everyone get ready, EDI, on my mark…mark!"

And, nothing happened.

Abigail glanced around, before the power started to flicker the lights went off, before emergency power kicked on and more lights gave a red sheen to the entire corridor. The human operatives hesitated for just one second more. Slowly they started to move, only to have shouts of despair and anger clouding echoing down the corridors.

"Shepard, the guard force is going to full mobilization and they are attempting to restore power and ascertain the problem. I have no specific whereabouts on Keith Faulkner."

"Good enough for me," Shepard replied gripping her Scorpion even tighter in her hand, "come on lets go."

The three of them started down the corridor only to have guards swing around the corner, and they were met with blasts from the Scorpion pistols which took them all out in a heap, quickly.

"Alright, we have to be running out of guards, right?" Cynthia asked.

"Let's hope." Abigail agreed.

…

Cameron Shepard rolled forward under a blast from someone's Eviserator Shotgun, he bought his Scorpion up in a two handed grip and placed two rounds squarely in the center of the assailant. And then winced, _have to conserve ammo…at least that guy is going to be out for a while_.

A new guard popped up with Harrier assault rifle and Paul dealt with him by firing a round into the door frame, then a second orb into the guy's chest causing him to crumple. Vega dealt with yet another guard who was trying to sneak around on the flank. Cameron Shepard brought his pistol around scanning the area, finding another guard moving around and firing into him.

"Dispatch, it looks like that cleaning crew that you sent up here is not exactly friendly, they are moving around, massacring us! Send help!"

Cameron grunted following the noise at a trot, when he spied the guard sending the message he went into a charge, slamming the guy against one of the doors and then slammed him again karate chopping him. And for good measure put one of the overload orbs into him.

Spying around he noticed one of the doors was open; he tip toed up to it, took a breath, and peaked around the corner. A man peered back at him with a full growth of beard and alert eyes; he was sitting next to a work station.

"Keith Faulkner I presume?" He smirked.

"Yes, and you are?"

Cameron hesitated for a second, "Someone who is here to rescue you."

"Well and why would you want to do that? After all you are in N7 armor, an operative of the Alliance, and I am a guest of the Alliance. This also assumes I want rescuing. I know my punishment, it will still stand."

"Mr. Faulkner," Cameron grunted, "There are things happening in the rest of the Alliance that you do not understand. Things that you might be able to help us solve."

Keith smiled wryly, "so there is some alien influence…Reaper maybe…behind all these news reports of the Alliance going insane. And you think my knowledge into Reaper indoctrination can help solve it?"

"Something like that, come on we'll explain the rest later."

Keith's smirk grew larger and his eyes twinkled, "As amusing as this is, that someone needs me, my crimes were still legitimate. My soul has been stained, and I don't know if I can trust myself getting near the Reapers ever again."

Cameron frowned, and hesitated, "Look Doctor I get it, the fear, the loathing, the need for personal redemption and atonement. But _this_ could be your redemption. If f you save Earth from the very fate you yourself have suffered then you will have earned your life again, then you can be happy."

Keith sighed.

"As far as the Reapers are concerned, we'll make sure you are out of harm's way as much as possible, but as I said we'll explain later."

He sighed a second time, "very well, help me get this door open."

He heaved on it from the inside and Cameron went to work on the outside. After much heaving and pushing and Keith began to sweat they finally got the door open and Keith spilled outside.

Dusting himself up he smirked and looked around at the group, and his eyes widened. "Wait, James, Paul? What are you two doing here? Where's Shepard?"

James blinked at Keith and then looked right over at Cameron, then shrugged, "it's a long story loco."

"One we can explain later, we need to move, and the guards are regrouping and may wake up at any time." Cameron explained remembering Abby's words.

"Fair enough, let's move out." Keith grunted.

…

Abigail's Omni-tool buzzed at her causing her to toggle it automatically and bring it up to her mouth.

"Captain, we've retrieved the package and are on our way to the rendezvous point. We'll get there as fast as we can but,-"a screech interrupted him; "we are beginning to face heavier resistance."

"Acknowledged we are on our way, Shepard out." Abby said then turned to the squad. "Come on lets go we only have so much time before the mission window closes."

"We're running out of ammo." Cynthia pointed out.

Abby sighed, "If I had known that you going to the academy would have turned you into such a worrier I would not have sent you."

Cynthia snorted, "It's the duty of the subordinates to post the tactical situation to their superiors." She quoted sarcastically.

"Uh huh."

They started to move back down the corridor off in another direction but slightly down the angle they came down, when Shepard noticed a door was open, she felt a chilly trickle go down her spine and went to investigate.

She peaked into the door, it was barely lit and she could just make out a dark figure in the back shifting.

"Oh Abigail Shepard, I figured you'd be the one who would eventually come and get me."

The hairs on her neck, what she had of them, stood up on end, "You!"

The figure chuckled and came forward revealing the pasty white figure she knew all too well. "So are you going to get me out of here?"

"Why should I?" She retorted angrily.

"Because you are fighting legends, you are fighting the reason I am in here, the reason why I worked with the enemies of humanity to create the perfect army. You challenge the…what do they call themselves now? Oh yes, the Leviathans. And I can help you."

Abby's eyes widened, she froze against the door.

"Shepard we need to move!" Cynthia's voice broke through her consciousness like a mass effected gun shot.

_Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it_, her mind echoed back from the distant past. She dropped her head and sighed, hesitating just one second more. "Come on Cynthia help me get this door open!"

"Why?" The Operative said but moved to comply; together they heaved the door open with a very loud wail.

"Whoa, who is this guy?" Miranda asked as the occupant came blithely strolling out.

"I'll explain later, come on!" She started running down the corridor.

As they ran, with the occupant taking up the rear, she toggled her Omni-tool. "Cortez how do you feel about two passengers."

"Two Lola?" James interrupted.

"Yeah, they can fit, but we can't take any damage." Cortez reported.

Abby ignored James, "very well…we will try and make that not happen, Shepard out." She said brokering no further discussion.

They rushed out through the corridor to the central elevator, they had to hold for a second as guards rushed in behind them and the elevator came in behind them, just enough emergency power to use the thing.

The elevator rushed up, then to the side, depositing them in the central chamber just outside of the landing strip. Abigail had to hold the line as a small group of guards was waiting for them, they were dispatched to their particular dream worlds easily.

Shepard rushed out into the landing port as the Kodiak came down in front of them and the side compartment opened up, Cameron and his squad rushed out from a side door as Keith Faulkner trailed in his wake. Abby huffed moving.

"There they are! Its Shepard stop them!"

Abigail whirled around bringing the Scorpion up instinctively and firing. The guard took the orb in the chest and collapsed off to the side. More guards quickly replaced him and pointed their adventures at the group.

"Drop your weapons you're surrounded!"

"Retreat and cover, Keith, get back to the Kodiak!" Abigail screamed.

The guards surged forward, obviously intending to capture them instead of cripple them, a few of them fired over their heads, Abby didn't give them the chance to accomplish their task as she began to put orbs into them. Some of the guards stayed back and intentionally fired over their heads, Abby crouched giving them an even smaller profile, the criss crossing fire made it hard for the untrained guards to properly acquire their targets even if they wanted to.

Abigail had to fire again and again at the guards as one after another fell to her barrage. Until…

_Click_, the Scorpion ran empty and beeped, she reached for another thermal clip only to discover that she was fresh out, and the guards were squatting on the ones that were left. All around her she was met by the sounds of Scorpion's hissing and beeping as their owners reached similar states of empty Scorpion syndrome.

"Crap." Abigail muttered.

One of the guards rushed forward, seizing on his opportunity. Abby's hand instinctively went to her Valkyrie as it deployed in its back port, she yanked the weapon up and brought it around. Into the chest of a guard, the same fat guard who greeted them, his eyes widened, and he collapsed on the pavement bleeding.

Abigail felt her eyes close, as a stunned silence pervaded the courtyard. The guards looked at her, and then charged in a run, James brought his Harrier up and Abby brought the Valkyrie around as they both fired into the dirty causing them to scatter and hesitate.

Just enough to get them onto the shuttle, the door closed, and the shuttle rotated, and climbed ever skyward, to hearth and home.


	20. Chapter 20

_Alliance Asteroid Prison Facility_

Prime Minister Soren walked out of his personal shuttle to face the assembled group of guards of the highest security of Alliance Prisons, their helmets were off, and they were disarmed. They stood at attention, some respectfully, and some with fear. Soren scanned the crowd with his eyes looking for the current superior Corrections Officer on sight. Finding him Soren had to smile as the man looked nervous; it was now his responsibility for what happened here.

"Does anyone have a report for me? A reason why I was roused out of my bed at three o'clock in the morning?"

The man snapped a salute, "Sir, yesterday at fifteen hundred hours, a task force infiltrated the facility and took two of our prisoners with them. This task force was headed by Captain Shepard," the man hesitated, "sir."

Soren grunted, "And how could you let Shepard just stroll in and infiltrate this place?"

"Sir, they were dressed as a construction crew, had the proper authorization from the Terra Nova head of Prison Corrections, and she did not infiltrate as the leader of the band, but used one of her crew to do so."

"I see," Soren drooped his head for the effect of humility, "did any of your people take causalities?"

The leader hesitated for a second. "The squads were using specialized equipment to take out the guards non-lethally. But they apparently ran out of ammunition and used more traditional weapons. Two guards were wounded and one was killed in the action by Shepard's Valkyrie."

_Interesting, and fortunate_, "I see." Soren commented.

"Sir, I am sorry sir."

Soren smiled and clapped the young man on the shoulder, "There is no need to apologize son, and everything will work out just fine."

"Yes sir," the man nodded, "are we dismissed?"

"I still want to run you through the proper debrief with the Parliamentary investigators, they know the proper questions to ask." Soren reported in confidence.

"Sir," The man nodded and relaxed.

Soren began spun around heading back for his shuttle as the investigators poured in in his place. He subtly jabbed a finger over his shoulder at the assembled guards, Nathan Burke nodded. As he passed the Special Forces Operative he whispered, "Avengers."

Burke nodded again spinning on his heels and heading for the Kodiak from his star ship, he opened the side panel and uncorked a crate handing two of the vintage Assault Rifles to his squad mates, and plucked a third out for himself.

Soren heard his aide fall in with him just behind his shoulder shadowing him before the rapid fire blasts from the Avengers broke out behind them, followed by horrified screams. The aide gulped behind him.

"Sir, what was that for?"

Soren turned to the aide slightly, but did not break his step. "Shepard used a Valkyrie, the Valkyrie has the same model and general make of the Avenger, being done in the same manner and by the same company. So, their signatures just might be similar enough to fool any experts. We can exploit this, claim Shepard massacred the guards to break a terrorist out of jail…which the last part isn't totally false, and that should drive the wedge between Shepard and public opinion even more."

"I see." The aide said.

"Cheer up; we will carry the day yet."

"Cheer up? You don't seem the least bit concerned with Shepard taking a known terrorist, apparently for no reason, and well two known terrorists."

Soren paused turning to regard the aide for a second, biting his lip. "Because I know she will defeat herself in the end."

"How so?" The aide asked puzzled.

"Because I have read her file, I know who she is. I know what she has gone through." Soren hesitated for another moment.

The aide opened his mouth and closed it.

"Imagine for a second if you had grown up in atrocious poverty, if you were forced to join a gang and survive. Through thievery, threats, intimidation, hardly knowing where your next meal was coming from. Dealing in drugs and prostitution, selling yourself to the highest bidder. Imagine if you had committed one crime too many, and were caught, but were saved from punishment." He held his tongue letting the story sink in.

"Now imagine as part of your salvation you were forced to join the military by court order, that you joined the military and became the best soldier you possibly could. But then you were put into hell itself, you saw loved ones die, friends and family, and you killed and lashed out. Only to be saved again, to be given a third chance. So then you made a promise to the universe, that you would do good and be a righteous person, that you would reform and try not to kill everyone who crossed your path. But then you became a hero, but no one believed you, you stopped the abduction of thousands of humans, and no one believed you, no one believed you until the thing you had been saying would happen, happened, and then you became the most important woman in the universe."

"I fail to see-" the aide started.

But Soren held up a hand, "Well if you went through this, and you continue to go through this, how long would it be until you have had enough? Until you start to think the universe or God has broken its promise to you? So you revert, you become as nasty and as hateful as you were all those decades ago? And thus you are no longer the woman who you are, but the woman who you were, and in so doing you destroy yourself, after all you barely made it out alive at the first place."

"I see." The aide's eyes widened.

"All we need to do is keep the pressure on and isolate Shepard, keep pushing her; eventually she will make a mistake." Soren patted the aide on the shoulder before spinning around and moving towards his shuttle.

_Normandy-CIC_

"So, who is he Abby?" James asked.

The squad was peering into the galaxy map which was converted into a bird's eye view of the CIC and tactical situation within it. Their two 'guests' were standing on opposite sides of the table. Keith was staring at the other man in the room, while he was staring straight ahead with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"His name is Michael Ellison," Abby's blue eyes broke from the image to view the assembled group, "He is…_was_…a renowned human geneticist graduating with honors from John Hopkins, then he went back to school to study alien xenobiology. Was part of some of John Grissom's missions into the Terminus and into the greater galaxy cataloguing all the species he ran into."

"I seem to remember hearing something about him," Miranda muttered.

"How'd he end up in an Alliance Prison?" James asked knotting his brow.

Shepard let out a shuttering breath, "Just after Torfan intelligence got reports that a human was working with the Batarians to create a super army of genetically superior, but totally loyal, I suppose the best term would be mutants. I was assigned to Commander Anderson at the time as we tracked the target to the Terminus. Finding out it was him. The records were sealed and it was kept hush hush, given the geo political fallout that a well-known and regarded human scientist was working with our enemies to threaten Alliance interests. It would have caused a panic. So silently he was put into prison and his name was quietly filtered out of the media."

James whistled.

"But in the meantime," Abigail moved the conversation forward leaning on the railing, "security?" She toggled her eye over to Miranda and EDI.

"Should be simple," EDI commented.

"I can monitor their extra net and other services." Miranda said, "And then restrict their access."

"And I will keep their access restricted to extranet and non-critical systems via firewall." EDI supplanted.

"You sure you can control them?" Abby pressed.

"Yes." EDI assured.

"Reasonably," Miranda shrugged.

Abigail smirked looking between the two of them as they glanced at each other and then forward. She chuckled internally at the situation.

"Well," She said, "I suppose it's time we go meet our guests."

Abigail Shepard led the procession of officers an unaffiliated squad members into the tech labs, and then through the briefing room, all the way to the War Room. Keith spun on their entrance and Ellison turned to them slightly but made no other outward move.

"Shepard, care to explain, finally, why you have interrupted my stay as a guest of the Alliance?" Keith asked folding his arms over his chest.

Shepard caught herself up short, "I take it you have read the files which were provided on your arrival?"

"Yes, I have, but that still does not explain why you need me."

"Have been studying Reaper indoctrination in prison, could be useful for breaking Leviathan operations." Palin explained breathlessly.

Michael's snort prevented any further conversation, "what?" he asked smirking, "I doubt he can help with his indoctrination under the Reapers, I mean we all know how they can mess with your head, or at least so I've heard, browsing extranet sites, etc."

"Maybe," Shepard concurred, "but you are all we've got, you, Palin, and Keith." She eyed Michael, "Though not sure why we took you along, I probably would've been better off leaving you to rot."

He chuckle, "Please Abby, you are a professional. Well at least you are _now_. You are a professional and I said just enough to make you curious. And you know I was building an army. One who was completely loyal to its masters, and above mental control from any other source. Sounds like we could use such a force given our current situation."

"Yeah, or the perfect force for the Reapers." Abby said arching an eyebrow.

"What?"

She began to pace back and forth, "I've been doing a lot of thinking since you came aboard, and while I am not sure but if I remember correctly your creatures looked like husks."

"And, what?" Michael blinked at her.

"Well, you were using Husks, Husks signify Reaper technology. You were using Reaper technology to make your army."

"And your point?" Michael hissed.

She sighed, "Think about it, how did you run into the Leviathan's, how did you discover they were there?"

He smirked, "You know them Abigail, the evidence was there, and their signal permeates the Galaxy keeping them in contact with their spheres."

"Which you deciphered how?" Abigail drove her point home.

"I…it's there." He blinked.

She nodded, "uh huh, so you don't know? You just happened to run into information about a grave galactic threat _after_ you ran into Reaper technology which caused you to start using that technology to build an army of super soldiers?"

"What are you-"

"You were _indoctrinated_, just like Keith here, just as thoroughly and completely. The Reapers played on your desires, to see people safe from harm, just like they do every time they get into you. And you would've given them the perfect army when they were on the march in the war."

He blinked, "I had no idea," he whispered.

"That is also something they are good at, which is why we need to work together to solve this problem." Abigail came forward.

"Together, no arrogance, no agendas, just for the good of humanity." Cameron assisted.

The two scientists looked at one another, Keith shrugged, Michael nodded slowly.

"What do you need from us?" Keith asked.

Abigail glanced back at Palin.

"Your minds helpful," he inhaled sharply, "not through extraction though, technical expertise, someone to bounce ideas off of, compare notes on experiences with Saren, Benezia, the Illusive Man, Shepard, Miranda, other case studies. Could be useful in blocking or breaking Leviathan indoctrination."

"And thus turning the conspiracy around." Shepard supplanted semi needlessly.

"Well," Keith smiled cheerfully, "Shall we get to work?"

Abigail smirked and opened her mouth to respond.

"Captain, we are getting a data burst from the Alliance News Network, I think you better take a look at this." Joker said, almost a perfect mirror for his Eden Prime report all those years ago.

Before Shepard could order it on screen, the hologram in the center of the table reverted to a picture of a desolate city street, Shepard could have sworn she heard gun shots in the background of various models, but she wasn't sure since a female voice played over the recording.

"_At this time the eighth such attack today, culminating in a massive wave of violence across Earth resulting in the deaths of more than fifty individuals. The attacks have no coordination and the authorities do not believe they are the works of a coordinated effort; however this did not hinder these 'lone wolves' who used military grade fire arms, and using these firearms to slaughter their fellow citizens. _

"_At this time the Prime Minister is convening an emergency meeting of parliament to discuss the situation and provide measures curtailing the violence, with protests being staged by the grieving members of several of the families here on Archturus and back in several Capitols throughout the world. More on this story as it develops." _

_Damn_, Abigail sighed.

"What is all that about?" Cynthia asked.

"Control, one way or another, Control." Abigail sighed leaning on the War Room table.

"So what do we do about it?" James asked.

"Liara," Abby said not turning to them and toggling the com links, "I need you to double your efforts into getting into contact with any Earth based resistance."

"I'll try Shepard." Liara said without any more preamble.

"Miranda, how is the Phoenix initiative coming?"

Miranda glanced at her compatriots and cleared her throat, "Well since the coup went through recruiting new members and developing my network has been difficult…but." Miranda walked over to the panel and began to type in commands.

"But?" Abigail pressed.

The hologram changed again, this time a model of Omega, which was already zooming out. It zoomed through the Omega 2 relay all the way out among the star cluster, then to a map of the galaxy, a line shot between the Omega cluster and the local, where Earth was, where it zoomed in.

Miranda turned to them, "I do believe I can forge Government documents and transportation papers, shortly, it's not easy but with them reorganizing their protocols there is a lot of bleed in it, if you know where to look."

"Yes," Liara cut in, "I do believe getting you to Earth should be relatively easy but that still leaves communication."

Abigail turned to Miranda, "any ideas?"

Miranda shifted, "We'll have to wait and see."

Abigail nodded, "Dismissed, go get some rest before we get started, I have a feeling we may not get a lot in the days ahead, this is where we begin to take our homes back."

Cameron and Miranda both nodded as the crew began to filter out.

…

"_In the age of the Crisis, no matter the crisis, whether conspiracy or the simple acts of lunatics, people will find a way to exploit the situation to their advantage, to control what they can. For their agendas and their own stubborn pride, this is the promise of our new age."_


	21. Chapter 21

_Normandy- Shepard's Cabin_

Abigail Shepard's Omni-tool was on and she was fiddling with it. She was scrolling through her Extra-net profile looking for upgrades for her Omni-tool combat programs. Since she was back in the field she thought it was finally time to add some of those N7 apps she had access to. Finally finding the first of the set she began to upload it into her melee folder.

She heard James yawn behind him, "Yo Lola, what are you doing?"

"James," she nodded going back to work, "finding more apps for the Omni-blade, during the war the N7s added a lot of additional programs they were able to use. A bow, a shield. I think those might come in useful for the kind of combat we are likely to face."

"Nice," James said absentmindedly.

"Something on your mind James?" She asked turning to him.

"No-well yes, actually," He sighed, "you and Cameron?"

She felt her eyebrow arch slightly beyond her control, "What about us?"

"What is the nature of your relationship?" He asked.

_Well that was awfully clinical_, she smirked wryly. James shifted uncomfortably as she stared him down. He scratched at his neck.

Finally she let him off the hook, "Look, there is nothing between us."

"Uh huh," He said in a mirror of her tone.

"Honest." She muttered back.

He looked unconvinced, and she sighed.

_Like I need this_, "There is nothing between us James, I'm here for you."

"Yeah, well you've seemed pretty distant of late." James grumbled at her.

"I don't need this," She vocalized heading out, for the door, "I'm going for some air, I'll see you around."

"We're on a space ship orbiting a space station, where are-"

The door closing cut him off as Abby headed for the mess hall, and food. Her thoughts roiling slightly as she marched farther and farther away, each step more and more determined, trying to let the frustration roil off her down into the decking.

"Captain, you might want to come up here, we have something for you." Miranda's voice pierced the comparative quiet around her.

She sighed and glared up at the ceiling, "Miranda, you always seem to communicate right when I'm in the middle of transit to somewhere."

"Sorry ma'am, this can't wait." Miranda replied.

She sighed, "I'll be right there," and toggled her Omni-tool, "James meet me in the War Room."

On her way out she decided to grab herself a Croissant from one of the Omega's fine groceries, she bit into it, and nearly gagged.

The War Room was once again crowded with the people from all over the ship as Garrus and Cameron had decided to join them. Miranda was over by the controls sitting over them.

Abby nodded at the two, "Cameron, Garrus."

They nodded back, with an "Abigail," from Cameron.

"What have you got for me this time?" Abby asked Miranda.

"Well a communication, from Earth, actually, it seems the resistance wants a meet"

"We actually got a communication from Earth?" Cameron asked dubious.

Miranda manipulated the controls again causing the hologram on the table to revolve and turn into a view similar to the hack she used to have to run, a three by three grid of data. Certain sections started to highlight.

"This has been buried in the Alliance intercepts and junk data we have been intercepting." Miranda explained. "Certain codes and signals and information. Apparently we have been getting them off and on for a couple of weeks but only now has there been a definitive pattern, and only if you know what to look for."

"Sounds too easy." Cameron scoffed.

"Maybe," Abby agreed, "but what does the info packets say?"

"Only that there is an resistance on Earth which has been gathering for the last few weeks and they want to set up a personal face to face meeting. The message goes on to explain this is of vital importance and is a threat."

"Sounds interesting could be worth taking a look."

"Please, it could just as easily be a trap. All of this sounds a little convenient don't you think?" Cameron asked coming forward.

"You keep saying things are traps, I am really beginning to wonder if you know the meaning of the word." Abigail cast a look at him.

"Oh trust me, I have experience with traps." Cameron shot back sarcastically.

"Well, regardless if it's a trap or not it's almost too good an opportunity to pass up. Did the message give off any coordinates?"

Miranda pressed down on the controls as the view manipulated yet again, this time it showed corsairs hanging over typical Earth suburbs. "Here," Miranda explained, "just south of Central Chicago. It's a night club or bar of some sort."

"Interesting," Abby stroked her chin and nodded, "any more ways to get us to Earth undetected?"

"We could just take the _Normandy_, get in without being detected." Cameron suggested.

Abigail shook her head almost instantly, "_If_ this is a trap then I don't want the _Normandy_ to be anywhere near Earth Space. If we fall and are captured then the _Normandy_ is our very last card to play. And without the _Normandy_ Omega doesn't have any defenses or any starships to really talk about. You can only do so much with auto canons. If they are waiting for us then it would mean they are expecting us and will prepare accordingly, and we have no idea how long this mission will take, or how long we will be in the range. Better to play it at least somewhat safe."

"I agree," Cameron shrugged.

They both turned their gaze on Miranda.

"Well, I and Liara have been working on that." She said working on her controls. "Ever since Soren seized power a large number of ore and supply freighters have been heading in through Alliance Space, even as far out as Horizon, heading for Earth. I can get you and the squad of your choice fake credentials that will hold up to scrutiny on one of these ships. From there you should be able to infiltrate Earth easily."

"Why?" Cameron asked.

Miranda opened her mouth to speak, and thought better of it as Abigail was going to beat her to the punch.

"Only one way to find out."

Cameron shrugged again and looked around the room. "Want me to take a look at it?"

"At what?" Abby asked.

"Well go to Earth; get in touch with this resistance."

"They don't know _you_ they only know me, no sadly if we are going to do this it has to be me; we have to find a way of getting in there."

"Personally I'd be more concerned with getting out." Cynthia grunted from her side of the room.

"Now there's something." Miranda snorted.

"Anyways, yeah, we have to do this." Abigail muttered.

The room was silent for a few minutes as the squad considered the tactical ramifications, Cynthia looked more eager than nervous at the prospect, Miranda started typing away at her console probably running a few scenarios for getting them to Earth without being caught, or getting them home again. Cameron folded his arms over his chest.

"Alright," Abby announced so they would all focus in on her, "we can't take the _Normandy_ and we probably shouldn't take the entire squad along at the same time. We need to keep people here and a minimalist squad in case things do go wrong on the other end." She scanned the crowd, "James, Paul, you're with me. Ashley you and Cameron will maintain command here. Take good care of her."

"Don't I always?" Ashley smirked. "Besides you don't have to worry about her anymore, just go to Earth and give Soren my regards."

"At muzzle velocity." Cynthia agreed.

"Well, I will try and swing by Archturus on my way back, but no promises." Abigail joined in the fun chuckling.

"They probably won't run DNA or anything, given that they probably won't expect us to make a stand like this, intentionally put ourselves in the line of fire like this. I would try and go as dirty as possible though, and this means the load out will have to be…limited." Miranda explained back to business

"Suggestions?" Abigail turned to her friend.

Miranda bit her lip, "I have been modifying the Suppressor since I came back and discovered it from your little detour on the Citadel. It's now made out of composite materials, and can be assembled. Should not show up on sensors unless the bad guys specifically know what to look for."

"Awesome," James grunted, "That only gives something for Abigail and Paul to use, I don't tend to use Pistols."

"Well," Miranda smirked, "I only have one of them anyways."

"What's the use in having one pistol?" James asked.

"Well, it was supposed to be a prototype." Miranda started, "I was going to use it as a standard side arm for my operatives, when I had enough combat trained operatives to matter."

"But, it's good enough for our purposes." Abigail held up her hand. "Good work people, we'll be leaving first thing tomorrow, other than that grab your gear and let's get a move on."

_Armory_

Abigail Shepard held her weapon in a perfect two handed stance, feet spread apart, getting used to the feel. She sighed, relaxed dropping her arms slightly, bringing the weapon pointing skyward. She eyed the target at the other end of the corridor, imagining it was a Brute who was stalking her, waiting for her, realizing she only had a pistol for her defense and was savoring its kill. In a flash she brought the pistol back up with two hands and fired down range, emptying the entire clip, the weapon felt hot, hotter than usual.

"Nice form," a male voice spoke behind her

She started, and glanced over her shoulder at who would disturb her. And saw Cameron in his N7 hoodied glory taking her in.

She turned to him fully, "you know it probably isn't a good idea to sneak up on a woman holding a pistol."

The Vanguard smiled wryly, "A woman who is a well-trained special forces operative who knows her ship just can't be infiltrated willy nilly."

"You saying you aren't an infiltrator?" Abigail asked.

Cameron nodded, and stood there for a second, shifting uncomfortably on his feet.

"So…"

"You are putting an awful lot of trust in me." Cameron murmured.

"You've earned it." Abigail's signatory frown deepened.

"And, you have a lot of trust in your ability to get out of this mission alive."

She snorted, "I've earned it."

"Yeah, but…we've been very lucky to make it this far. Hell I suppose it's lucky I am here or else you would never even go on this mission."

"Maybe," Abigail conceded, "your point?"

"Ever wonder what will happen when our luck will run out?"

Abigail hesitated, "We just have to hope our skill is enough to get us through. Especially since we have more skill and determination, rather than luck."

"If you say so."

"You worried you can't handle this without me?"

He laughed, "No, although I imagine something will happen with you away from the house, I can feel it."

"Well," She grinned moving to clap him on the shoulder, "thankfully I can be in two placed at once."

"Take care Shepard," He said.

She stalked out towards the elevator, "you too Shepard."


	22. Chapter 22

_MSV Iridium Pride-One hour from Earth_

Abigail Shepard was dressed in a trench coat, gray sweat shirt, and blue jeans, sat on her bench in the rented room on the Ore Freighter. The jeans were a bit tight, and her butt hurt from the constant time on the bench since getting off her last shift.

There was a lot to do on a mining freighter on the way home, ore to process, systems to check, _but at least they weren't actually involved in the mining the stuff out of the asteroid_.

In hindsight it was fortunate that Miranda could even find them a station and a ship which was hiring, one who could take them all the way to Earth.

Abigail was fiddling with her Omni-tool again trying to read reports from Earth, to get some read on the media situation, now that they were getting closer to Earth and she could tap into the network. _And in short they don't look good_.

The media made almost no reference to Soren, other than how wonderful he was. Instead they focused in on which celebrity was marrying who an how the world was embarking upon a new age of peace and prosperity now that they finally dealt with the usurper Daniel Hudson, as well as one rather curious story about how she was a psychological cripple who was broken on Tofan leading her to Sociopathic tendencies.

_Probably at least somewhat true,_ Abigail murmured, _but not in the way that they think_.

A boot step behind her caused her to wince, and freeze, ever since she had gotten on board she was trying to maintain a clear distance from anyone on the ship. In case any of them went, _hey you look like Commander Shepard!_ And alerted the authorities, or tried to buy her a drink and ask for an autograph, which would then draw attention of other people on the ship, who could then alert the authorities.

"Hey Lola." James's voice whispered.

Abigail closed her eyes and said a silent prayer.

"James," She turned to him straddling over the bench to look at him smirking, "just got off your shift?"

"Yeah," the man grunted, "one on the processing deck, fun." He murmured. "And just going over how we are going to get out of this, and what we are going to find on Earth when we get there."

"I know," Abby frowned, "it's kind of nerve wracking actually, just waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the ship to get there, and the doors to open on our home. Will things look peaceful? Will there be white picket fences in some kind of creepy utopia? Or will it be dark and foreboding, in a state of moral and physical decay? And how effective is this resistance? Maybe this is just one nut job who says he is part of a resistance but is really just one nut job with delusions of grandeur."

"And what about our families? What about the environment down there? Will people, in a resistance or not, know what is going on?"

Abigail snorted and waved her Omni-tool around in front of his face, "not according to the media, it's almost like a perverted version of when Sally met Harry or what not, just with live presentations."

James snorted, the fringes of his own coat rippling, "Makes you wonder what Allers and Al-Jalani are doing."

Abigail winced, "you mean that reporter who wanted to board the _Normandy_? Didn't she die?"

"I wouldn't know." James muttered.

Abigail looked out her door musing for a second, leaning back in her chair and biting her lip. "This has to happen though, if we are going to get a leg up on this we need to know. There is no other way around it. Maybe we can figure out something we can use to help Keith and Michael in their research."

"Right," James remarked dubiously, "and how does that one feel, working with those guys?"

Abigail bit her lip, "It brings up a lot of bad memories. Still not sure it's a good idea. But I would rather have both of them where I can keep them then where they were. Soren could use them in any number of ways and we already know they are both susceptible to Reaper indoctrination, and they _are_ geniuses."

"Right, so just hope everything works out?" James asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Abby nodded, "Come on we'll be landing soon we'll need to get ready for our descent."

"Right," James walked off, and she heard him mutter, "It's been a while."

Abigail smirked and wondered what he meant by the comment but decided to let it slide.

The transport rocketed into Earth atmosphere the mass effect field generators desperately tried to keep it from plowing through Earth's gravity well without losing control. The ship was certainly not as advanced and new like the _Normandy_ and the pilot obviously didn't have Joker's skill set as the ship pitched hard to port and starboard as they rocked through the ride.

But almost as quickly as it started, it ended, as the thrusters leveled out and they cleared the upper atmosphere and sped down into its proper docking pattern along the planet's surface.

Abby peered out at the racing city below them, dark fogs of smoke billowed out and around it, the sky was a sharp gray. Even the buildings looked sooty.

"Whoa." Paul remarked.

"Looks like during the war." James agreed.

Abigail agreed with them both, the dust, the pollution caking the air, making it hard for them to see. But instead of mass war, this indicated massive construction to her, the smoke of a million industrial fires all raging at the same time.

They landed quickly and the three of them passed through customs without incident, leaving them free to wander around Earth and look for this bar they were supposed to go to.

Shepard led the way watching the streets carefully, a couple was trying to sneak around on a side walk, the man was pressing the girl up against the wall and was necking her fiercely.

A little way away another couple was making out _out in the middle of the street_.

"What the hell?" James remarked.

"Come on, let's go." Abigail muttered.

They found a taxi, one who would take them the twenty five or so Kilometers to their final destination, an easy couple of minutes. Abigail paid their fare and off they went. The environment rushed by too quickly for them to go get a good look at it.

The taxi parked them at a terminal just on the opposite side of the street from the bar, being surrounded by buildings cutting it off. Abigail nodded her thanks to the cab driver before heading the rest of the way, her Omni-tool pinging directions.

Going through a bridge and then a stairwell brought them to the bottom of the street floor, James and Paul tailing in her wake, not saying a word, not wanting to with the soot caking the air. The sound of their breathing was the only way Abby was sure they were back there. But slowly they made their way to the other side, crossing the street, when a commotion caught their attention.

"You don't have any right to come in here and search my property."

Finishing crossing the street Abigail, James, and Paul all swiveled around to see what was going on. A group of three Alliance guards and one officer was standing in front of an older looking man with gray hair and wearing a white vest.

"Sir, according to new regulations I have to search your property. Reports say you purchased an older model Avenger Assault Rifle."

"It's a war memento," the man dismissed, "I fought in the war, served in the Earth resistance, fought with Anderson at London."

"So you admit to having a now illegal weapon in your possession?" The officer asked with slight surprise.

"Yes, of course, I have nothing to hide. But you can't have it. Whatever the law is currently I bought it legally with a legally valid permit and the Alliance charter specifically protects me from retroactive laws."

"Haven't you heard about all the attacks? They massacred a-"

"I was not involved; I am an upstanding citizen who has committed no crime other than buying a weapon which I did not know would be illegal for me to own in a few months' time."

"Sir, we are legally bound to search your property, if you do not move we'll be forced to-"

"You'll what? Shoot me? Ha, explain that one on the nightly news." The man folded his arms over his chest smugly.

But as soon as the view completed one of the guards snapped up _his_ Avenger and fired into the man's chest knocking him down. The guard launched into the hole, with his compatriots following him.

At her side James growled and Abby had to launch herself at him, holding him back, "that is not our mission." She gave him a restraining look.

The man humphed and backed off, shaking his arms, and his heads as the sound of more Avenger blasts followed by a female scream punctured the still air.

"Come on," Abby muttered, "we're close to the bar."

The crowd which had gathered glanced at the source of the commotion, but quickly dispersed, some of them even shrugging their shoulders as they went along their daily lives, Shepard and company threading the needle between them.

They entered the bar which was dark and musky, even in comparison to the outside street. There was a slight film of smoke permeating the air, as if no one had any regard for their own personal health and well-being. It also made it hard to see. _Both a benefit and a curse given we are supposed to be here to meet someone, but they can't see us and identify us either_.

She led the way skimming over by the bar running a finger along the wooden divider, the man behind it glanced back at her while cleaning a glass with a dirty rag. Abby shivered. And then was bumped into by someone nearly wrenching her around.

"Oh, excuse me Commander." The man said.

Abby felt her hairs stand up on her neck as she swiveled around seeing a man wearing a similar trench coat to herself walking away rapidly, but there was something about him that screamed _that's the one_. She had no idea what the message was about but it was typical. He intentionally bumped into her, got close enough to her to whisper to her, called her _Commander_ which wasn't her rank but what she was most famously known as, but not _Commander Shepard_. Just in case anyone was overhearing the conversation they wouldn't hear the _Shepard_ and then connect the dots. She _hoped_ she wasn't jumping to a wild conclusion but the man gave her just enough information where she would know he was there for her specifically, but yet to anyone else she would just look like some Alliance Officer which was just bashed into by a drunken patron.

"Come on," She finally whispered to James and Paul. She reached into her coat and clutched her Suppressor just in case.

They followed him to a corner booth, out of the way, yet close to the entrance.

Abigail sat down cautiously, Paul remained standing guarding them and blocking them from view, James leaned over on the table but didn't quite sit down.

The Special Forces Captain made a clearing noise in her throat after a few seconds, wondering if this was a mistake.

"Commander," The man repeated, and smiled, "Or should I say _Captain_, congratulations on the promotion by the way."

"Thanks," Abby deadpanned, "I take it you are our contact?"

"The one and only," the man grunted coming into the light.

He was a black, older gentleman who had a thick beard but no discernible hair on his head. But the lighting was really messing with her perceptions of the general environment.

"And, you are?" Abby arched an eyebrow at him.

"Jason that is all you need to know, Abigail Shepard."

_And that was to make sure I knew that he knows I am who I say I am_. She smiled wanly, "I generally only let my friends call me by my first name, to everyone else its _Captain_ Shepard."

"My apologies Captain."

"So," James cut in leaning further before they could do any more conversation, "What is the news? It's hard for us to hear anything out on the perimeter."

"And you think it is easy for us?!" Jason's voice rose dangerously, he cast a furtive glance around the bar making sure they weren't overhead.

Satisfied, he sighed. "It's hard enough coordinating when the Government is gaining a greater foothold on our electronic communications and anything that is not on a Government channel. Sure we can get the occasional message out, but anyone who has been reporting the truth has been shut down."

James nodded gravely and winced, "Well come on, you must know…something." James waved out towards the door. "Like what is going on with all the soot and bleakness out there."

"Heavy construction," The man shrugged, "mainly forced construction of the Old Cities, around the globe trying to rush the order on getting Earth back in shape from the Reaper War. We also believe they are building a fleet."

"A fleet?" Abigail asked.

He shrugged again, "Your guess is as good as mine. Though with what Soren is doing it can't be good for the rest of the Galaxy."

"Agreed," Shepard murmured.

He leaned back in his chair and their drinks had arrived, she took it and sipped it, the brew seared her throat for one bite, and she wiped her chin making an 'ah' noise.

"And, well there have been disturbing reports on what the Alliance is doing with celebrities and other attractive girls…" Jason finally said when the waiter was far enough away.

"Oh, well that sounds…ominous." James mused sounding uncertain.

Jason sighed, coming forward, "Well, there are rumors that they have been taking people into sphere rooms. Females mostly though a few males. In that close proximity to the Leviathan's sphere's they are easily taken control of, at least their minds, and their bodies."

"Wait," Shepard held up a stopping hand, "you know about the Leviathans?"

Jason scowled, "we do follow the news, and read up on extranet sites. Besides one of our crew is a former Alliance Spec Ops analyst, was just honorably discharged, she has kept us apprised of all your more interesting escapades."

"So what happens to these women once they go into these sphere rooms?" James asked getting them on topic.

"They are…_changed._ Some of them come out and start spewing propaganda that is pro Soren." The man smiled "Of course it's hard to pick them out from the so called 'useful idiots' we run into our here on a daily basis. But the rest? Rumor has it they are sold for sex. Other people are led into these rooms so called 'fans' of these people. There, they have sex with their favorite celebrities."

Abby sneered.

James grunted, "That's disgusting! Who would do such a thing?"

Jason shrugged and his eyes narrowed, "Apparently a lot of people. There is a low level indoctrination field, or energy field that permeates the entire planet. Makes it hard to think, hard to concentrate, depending on who you are. And it even seems to lower inhibitions. Who wouldn't give a chance to have a 'date' with their favorite starlet given the circumstances?"

Abby and James simultaneously shivered.

"But, what is the big deal, what did you want us for?" Abby got them back to business.

Jason hesitated casting a glance around the bar. "We believe they are building a weapon here, a Super Dreadnaught, whether or not the Chicago Facility is the whole thing, or a piece, we do not know. All we know is it's supposed to be more powerful and deadlier then the _Destiny Ascension_ or that one Dreadnaught you fragged over Rannoch. It's supposed to be the new flagship for this fleet."

"And you want us to blow it up?" Paul asked.

"We have neither the training nor the discipline to take on such a target with major Alliance defenses. Besides we could always use the greater man power, our gang isn't quite large enough to risk it. We need the expertise."

Abby nodded slowly and jerked her head up, "Alright, we'll do it. Now where is this place?"

"It's underground, a complete factory they just finished production on. The plan is to go in, confirm this place is a threat, plant the bomb, and then get out hopefully with limited casualties on both sides."

"How many are in your gang?" Paul asked.

"Twelve." Jason clarified.

"Fifteen." Abigail smiled.

"You're in?"

Abby hesitated for a split second, "we still need to see your intelligence and we need weapons."

Jason nodded, "well then, let's go do this, follow me."

…

After the intelligence briefing, _which was not much_, Abigail Shepard, James Vega, and Paul Leighy stood outside towards the courtyard of where the 'Earth Resistance' had made their base. Right now they were made up of twelve fighters and three support staff, but Jason assured them there were other cells throughout the planet and they had limited communication.

But they were standing outside the rented apartment looking down at a garbage dump.

"We 'procured' these from an Alliance retirement shipment, they were going to guard compounds throughout the Alliance and not used by the official military. We didn't think they would be missed." Jason's weapon's expert explained rolling up a tarp.

Abby whistled. In the box was at least fifteen Vindicator Assault Rifles, placed in even rows down the center of the garbage, looking dirty and worn, but she knew they would still function.

"Damn, Vindicator's, haven't used these things in a long time." She pocketed one up hefting it into her shoulder and closely examining the thing. "Vindicator sevens?" She asked swiveling her head over to the expert.

He shrugged his shoulders, "the best we could do at the time, I figured you wouldn't complain."

"Oh no, this is…fine." Abigail assured, "some weapons are better than nothing."

"Right, I take it you are ready then?" The man asked.

"Well," Abby mused, "we need thermal clips, and to synch our Omni-tools so we can have a real time map of the area as we go, and our positions in relation to one another. Standard Special Forces fare."

"That's why you're the boss." The man shrugged.

"Right," Abigail said skeptically, "lead on."

"This way."

…

"_When people have an excuse to behave badly they will use it. Without standards, people will react any way they want. Thus the creation of freedom and liberty is just a back door for more control. If society is not careful entertainment, sex, drugs, and debauchery, can become a distraction. One that the people who want to control our lives can use for their own ends. This is the balance, be free, but be vigilant and responsible for your lives." _

**AN:** Well, this is it.

I was not sure if I should write this chapter the way I did. I wanted to do it but I was hesitant about the subject matter. The idea of it sounds a bit farfetched, who would do such a thing in a massive scale, would the audience like it?

I was hesitant because I am conservative about certain things, and well these fics and my account matter to me. I don't want to put them in jeopardy, by writing to mature subject matter for a rating.

And because of the ludicrous nature of the plot. Would this make sense? Would it really happen? I was uncertain.

But then this week happened, what happened in Cleveland Ohio happened. The despicable case of the kidnapping of the three girls. The tale of their sexual abuse. And still, other cases around the world, here in the United States, and in other parts of the world. So this is not so farfetched, evil will play if we do not know how to deal with it. Which I suppose is the point of why I am writing this and my writing in general.


	23. Chapter 23

_Normandy- Deck 3_

Cameron was walking down the corridor of the _Normandy_ leading to the mess hall, when he stopped suddenly. _It is quiet here, too quiet_. They were doing nothing other than being an obedient guard dog for the rest of the fleet and Omega. But there was nothing to guard the bases from. Right now they seemed to blend in with the universal background as Omega had done for centuries. Other than the war of course Omega was treated as a galactic curiosity and not something to draw any serious attention.

"Oh, Cameron."

He leapt out of his skin swiveling around on the new voice, Ashley Williams stood before him in all her glory.

"Ash, uh…Commander Williams."

She smirked, "you can call me Ash." She said moving past him to sit down, "I don't think I'm quite as freaked out by you as most people are."

"Oh?" Cameron asked folding his arms over his hoodied chest.

Ashley paused and smiled, "Well finding out there are fleets of AI dreadnaughts which are based on squid that have roamed the Galaxy for over a billion years, certainly makes anything seem possible."

He smiled, "true enough."

When it looked like she wasn't going to say anything he moved on over to the counter and began making himself a sandwich. Finishing he turned back to her and began to nibble on it gingerly, trying and failing not to get any crumbs on the floor.

He glanced up at Ashley who was smiling at him. He gulped.

He frowned, his mind thinking, "I don't know I just feel all out of place. Miranda is not _my_ Miranda anymore…" off of her look "long story…hell you and I were even intimate at one point." She raised an eyebrow. "James believes I'm a threat to his and Shepard's relationship, and honestly I am not sure I blame him, or at least that is the feeling I get. I never knew Cynthia or Paul, Garrus doesn't know me and hasn't made a concerted effort to do so. Hell the only one of you I really feel I know is Abigail, and yourself."

"I'm flattered." Ashley muttered.

"Well yea, just saying I feel like a fish out of water, like I am not getting to know anyone, no time to talk despite having all the time in the world."

"Well Cameron, you'll make it…but how are you fitting in?"

He chuckled, "I will admit it is good to get out in the field again. Though Abby…scares the hell out of me."

He saw Ashley furrow her brow, "Why?"

"She just…isn't me." He waved his hands. "I mean you are you, James is himself, just married to…me. But Abigail, of all the differences between this universe and mine, well she is the greatest. I always strive to do the right thing, yes the military thing, but law and order, galactic unity, saving as many lives as I can without sacrificing them there is always another way. But Abby? Despite her kind demeanor and how she treats her crew, _you _guys, there is a spike of ice in her heart. She is cold, determined, calculating, and often puts the need of the mission over the lives she is in charge of. Doing the expedient thing to get the task done as easily as possible, rather than the _right_ thing. And…"

"And?" Ashley's eyes narrowed.

Cameron whirled around facing the back wall, "I have a feeling she is a woman on the edge. I have no idea why or how…hell," he sighed, "I don't even know her that well to make this judgment…but she just seems like she is going towards a very dark place."

"We'll keep an eye on her," Ashley's voice announced behind him softly.

He nodded stiffly, "yeah."

Just before he started walking towards his cabin, the alert above him sounded and the intercom chimed in.

"Commander Shepard, Commander Williams, there is a message coming in. You might want to see this."

Cameron toggled an eyebrow at Ashley as they both headed for the War Room.

Seconds later saw them inside the War Room facing the table with a revolving hologram over the central panel. A hologram with blasts of static and white noise blocking out many of the words it was trying to say.

"Traynor, can you clear this up?" Ashley asked.

"I'm trying Commander." Traynor replied typing away madly.

The screen cleared for a second revealing a Quarian face, but it quickly descended into darkness once again.

Ashley sighed stalking over to the Communications Specialist who was working even harder than before, "Is the problem on our end or on theirs?"

Traynor frowned and her typing slowed, but did not stop. "It could be both, a combination of distance, and incompatible technologies. But, there is something on their end that is partially jamming the signal."

"Jamming?" Cameron asked. "So this is not just a friendly chat?"

Traynor moved to glare at him, "Why do you think I invited you."

"Fair enough…" Cameron grumbled.

Traynor grunted, "Come on you…ah got it! Well at least partially."

The Quarian face partially appeared on the screen again, but this time it showed lines of statistic cutting the Quarian up in bits and rolling her over. But it was clearly a she, and her eyes were clearly narrowed trying to cut through the obvious interference on her side of the com link.

But more importantly was her voice. "_Normandy, _come in _Normandy_, this is Admiral Shaala Ran vas Rannoch of the Quarian Council, we require assistance, we are under attack by Alliance forces."

"Admiral Raan," Ashley announced stepping into the view finding, "this is Commander Ashley Williams of the SSV _Normandy_, we acknowledge your message, but if the Alliance is attacking you, then how do you know we are legitimate?"

"Long range intelligence," a burst of static cut her off, "es intercepted your reports and your battle over Horizon. We need assistance, we need evacuation."

"Don't you have a stealth ship of your own who can evacuate you away from the region?" Cameron blurted uncrossing his arms and leaning on the table.

"It was destroyed in the first wave of the battle. We need the _Normandy's_ stealth drive; we need evacuation until Rannoch is secure. The Geth and our outer forces are moving in to cut the Alliance off, but there are rumors of a Special Forces squad out there with orders to kill us."

"We need to discuss it among the senior staff, if we decide in your favor send in your coordinates for retrieval." Ashley replied.

"Please hurry!"

The screen cut off leaving Ashley and Cameron standing there, glaring at each other.

"Thoughts?" Ashley pried.

Cameron shrugged, "it would beat staying around here and we could use the _Normandy's_ stealth drive to sneak in, pick up the former Admiralty Board, and get out before anyone even notices."

Ashley nodded, "Well, my question is, why are they attacking Rannoch and the Quarians now? The military's still have to not have that many forces, we really have not rebuilt them since the war, nowhere near the strength they were at anyways. Though I suppose we are getting close. But why Rannoch? Why now?"

Cameron shrugged, "I don't know, but it likely has to do with us. Because of us they weren't able to take the Alliance and Council Space with a silent coup. We opposed them at Horizon, we have the voice of the resistance, I would bet they are moving up their plans. Trying to get the Quarian Government out of the picture before they can organize a true defense rather than waiting for them to strike with overwhelming force. I suspect this is a probing action."

Ashley smirked, "And you say you aren't military."

"I'm just using common sense." Cameron smiled.

"OK, what about Omega?" Ashley asked.

"They'll be fine; we'll be there and back in less than a day. Besides as long as they are concentrating on the Quarians they likely won't have the forces to come after Omega, not yet anyways."

"Fair enough." Ashley shrugged, "just if Omega gets blown up while we are away it's your ass." She teased.

He chuckled, "Yeah, sure, throw the new comer under the bus, I can take it."

"Well you wouldn't be Commander Shepard without being able to face the adoring legions of political daring due." Ashley replied innocently.

Cameron nodded, "And don't you forget it."

The two of them tayed silent for a second as they ran out of things to say. Things to comment on.

"You know what sucks, going up against the Alliance, especially the indoctrinated Alliance like this. Knowing that your bullets will be killing people who may not even know they are there."

"Yeah, simpler killing Husks in a way, they are husks…beyond saving. But with these people they _are_ people. They look like people, feel like people, shoot like people. And if all of the reports are accurate they still have thoughts feelings and dreams of their own." Cameron agreed.

"Just they have been corrupted, and the longer they stay corrupted, the more likely they are to go beyond the pale."

"Which is why maybe we are doing them a favor." Cameron shrugged.

Ashley shot him a withering look.

Cameron smiled, "Have to consider the philosophical implications. Despite me being a Paragon of virtue I do at least think about a more…renegade…way of doing things. And shooting someone may be putting them out of their misery."

"Or it may not." Ashley rebuked.

"Maybe so." Cameron shrugged, "but this is all philosophical. Right now we will likely be in a situation where we will _not_ be able to use the same tactics we did on the asteroid base. Fully shielded soldiers, military trained, expecting trouble."

"Yeah, never thought we'd see the day…an Earth civil war influenced by a bunch of space squid."

"We'll beat them yet Ash." Cameron said softly.

"I know we will."

What should have been a natural stopping point for the conversation stretched out as the two compatriots, recently discovered, stood in front of each other, probably thinking the same thought. But they were afraid to voice it.

"So, who should lead the ground team?" Ashley asked.

"You're the boss and you're _asking_ me?" Shepard responded with a sly smirk.

"Well, sure, why not?"

"And, I think I should lead the ground team. You are the commanding officer of the _Normandy_, and the _Normandy_ is going into an active combat situation, you should be with her."

Ashley smiled wryly, "it's always so easy for Shepard isn't…and well I guess you too…leaving off going save the Galaxy…because the _Normandy_ was never really in front line combat ops. But now that I'm in command, I have to stay and play nursemaid."

"Someone has to do the nasty job." Cameron snorted in response.

"Oh yeah," Ashley cooed, "Just wish it didn't have to be me. Just you two get to have all the fun, in both universes apparently, and you don't have to act all responsible, oh sure leave Joker in command of the ship, he will do a real bang up job."

"Hey!" Cameron defended, "_Sometimes_ I let Miranda run things, and occasionally Thane, or maybe Jacob."

Ashley rolled her eyes, "Yes because that makes it all better….well with Jacob I mean."

He chuckled.

She laughed slightly, "Well, I suppose I need to go give Joker the orders."

"Yes ma'am, I'll let the rest of the crew know."

"Thank you Cam." Ashley muttered before leaving.

He watched her leave and smirked before moving to attend to his duties.


	24. Chapter 24

_Earth-Chicago-Government Ship Yard Facility_

Beads of sweat clung to Abigail Shepard's brow as she led the procession of Special Forces and resistance fighters down a long metallic cross walk. Smoke billowed up over the sides from the heavy and brute force, industrial processes going on through the bowels of the facility. She was in the lead, followed by James, then the resistance leader, and Paul. Quickly they made their way across one catwalk then down a short flight of stairs to another catwalk, construction paths most likely. What followed were the rest of the resistance fighters, eight in all.

"Shepard." Leighy's voice broke out behind her just barely audible.

She sighed, paused for a second, put the Vindicator in the 'at rest' position and then fell back letting James squeeze by her, his body grinding against hers, and then the leader of the resistance snaked on through.

"What is it?" She asked when they got a little further down the road.

"Contingency ma'am, you know just in case there is something here waiting for us."

She nodded, "Very well."

He nodded and marched back towards the end of the line, she let another resistance fighter pass her before doubling on her Vindicator and moving to catch up with James at the bottom.

They were looking for a place to put their bombs. Even though the explosives were quite substantial the facility was more than a match for it, and the larger the explosion they were able to generate the better their chances for destroying the facility.

But the paths they were on snaking their way down the bottom of the well were for construction purposes. Either for the project they were coming to disrupt or for general purpose, Shepard did not know. But they were in case the people building here wanted to build their projects several stories tall.

Shepard supposed the reactors and fuel lines would have been more near the bottom of wherever they were at, powering and pumping the whole operation, which is what their target was.

They crossed down deeper into the structure, going down one flight of stairs after another, another eight minutes of tedious climbing and they arrived at their destination. Pipes and computer consoles were littered throughout. The heat was pretty oppressive, sweat dripped down into Abby's eyes causing them to sting, but she managed to maintain her sight picture.

"Alright, we're here, spread out, look for anything that looks like a capacitor or a fuel injector, or a power relay, or just something that will go boom in the night."

James and the resistance leader snorted around her as the two of them began searching for what she told them to, she smirked wryly before wiping her head with the back of her right hand.

Several minutes later brought them to a central intersection, with a large pipe leading up and then out around a corner out of sight. The resistance squad huddled in around her, managing to maintain a respectful distance.

"Well, damn." James muttered next to her.

Abigail nodded clearing the area with the Vindicator.

"Captain Shepard." A familiar voice boomed out behind her.

James, Jason, and her spun around drawing their weapons into their shoulders, aiming into them, Nathan Burke came around the corner with his hands held out in a conciliatory gesture.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

As he spoke Abby felt a rush of bodies behind her and the expert click of weapons coming up into the ready position. Abby's body tensed up as she arched an eyebrow over her shoulder. _We are surrounded_.

A smattering of Alliance guards along with the Batarian and the Krogan member of Nathan's squad covered the entire group; Abby surreptitiously checked out the surroundings _no Paul_.

She turned her full attention back to Nathan Burke, "Well, you have us now. So was this a trap?"

"You could say this, though a hurried one. We heard about your presence on Earth only recently."

"One of my fighters? How is that possible?" Jason's voice quipped suddenly.

Nathan's eyes ran over to one of the fighters, he was trying to be secret, but both Jason and Abigail picked up on it, and spun on the victim. A young, brown haired, slightly overweight mouse of a man.

"It was you!" Jason screamed twitching forward, only to be met with several Harrier Assault Rifles swiveling into his direction.

The resistance fighter came over, slowly, timidly, moving over to her. She felt curious and her breath held, but she could not do anything as the guards were watching her every movement. Finally he stood before her, definitely in her personal space, he reached out his hand timidly, then boldly, and stroked her cheek.

Abby felt her body freeze, felt her hand twitch to the pistol at her side, but she still could not act.

He smiled, "they promised me…you…if I would just give you up. The voices, what I know are right and moral. To stop you, and be with you."

James flinched behind her letting out a deep scream and lunged forward.

"James!" She warned before the soldiers around her riddled him with bullets.

He stopped, and nodded gravely.

She nodded to the man and let up a little smile, "Well son, I will be right with you, but I really should talk to Nathan first."

He blushed violently. "Of course."

She turned back to Nathan and arched an eyebrow at him.

He chuckled before she could speak and opened the palm of his hand, a blue ball rotated out of it and spun before her, "Someone wants to speak with you."

The hologram generator hummed and a blond haired figure appeared, "Shepard."

"Prime Minister Soren." She tried to greet professionally but could not help from letting a slight snarl into her voice.

The blue figure smirked before her, "I take it you are still mad at me? For everything I have done?"

"Well, usurping the freedoms guaranteed to us by decades of legal precedent and then coming after me with the force of an entire planet…I do not know why you'd think I would be mad?"

He chuckled, "Yes, there could be no other reason that I would do the things I do. I have to be some evil force."

She barred her teeth, "There is no excuse good enough for what you have done to the planet. Look around you. Look at what you have done."

"All I have done is in the name of peace and security," Sorren intoned, "the Leviathans are the key to Galactic peace. Galactic peace without a cycle of extinction, Galactic order without the Reaper ruining everything."

"You believe you can trust them?" Abigail muttered.

He barked a laugh and closed his hands over his chest. "Abigail you surprise me! You who have spent your life under military discipline, commanding and being commanded, slaves to political masters! You know the cost of chaos, a chaos the Government saved you from."

She shook her head, "You just don't get it do you?"

"What don't I get? That it was an Alliance court, an arm of the Government that ordered you to go into the military. The military, a Government organization, which allowed you to be successful and happy and find your place, without which you would be dead or in jail? The Government saved you. Control is the only answer to the problem of human suffering, it worked with you."

"And how many rights will you sacrifice before you get to the end?"

He laughed, "A few petty rights, the loss of which should be temporary, is a small price to pay for the creation of the new Galaxy. The creation that only the Leviathans allied with the Council races could bring about. Security, a brighter future, without suffering. What are the rights of speech or self-determination next to the promise of that future?"

"No," Abigail shook her head again, "you aren't taking away those rights, and you are taking away the right to fail. You are taking away people's ability to fail."

He blinked up at her, "I'm afraid I don't…"

"Without failure I wouldn't be who I am. Without conflict and suffering I wouldn't have grown. I would not have gotten up and dusted myself off. And yes I wouldn't be in this position without some help from some judge. But here I am, also because someone took me in, taught me, a private citizen. Other individuals pointed me in the right direction. Not a Government, not a bureaucracy a committee or a parliament."

"You would be cold and dead without our help though! Without the assistance that we offered you, you would never have made it." Sorren pressed.

"I _was_ a cold scared lonely child!" Abby snapped, "Cold, alone, hungry, fighting for the scraps of my day to day life. Stealing, murdering, committing hundreds of crimes in the name of survival. You cannot force that kind of change on a person, only the person that will make the choice can make the choice. To be a better person."

Sorren paused, stopped, and turned back to Nathan. "Deal with her, you know what to do."

The hologram faded and the ball fell to the pavement.

Abigail glanced at Nathan, "So, now what?" She asked.

"Well, now we take you in, or you fight us and die. But if we take you in we put you into a prison with a Leviathan sphere until you come around to our way of thinking." Nathan explained.

She smirked confidently, "You know I have been indoctrinated before? And I beat it."

"This isn't just indoctrination," Nathan blurted, and then closed his eyes steadying, "but, if you are right, then you will die in prison, along with your crew. After all, is James immune? Are any of the resistance fighters? Now hold still."

The guards began closing the noose, some of them staying behind.

"Not going to happen."

"Abby be reasonable!"

Before he could advance another step a white orb slammed into one of the armor pieces of one of his squad, they looked at it; it exploded tearing through the armor and killing the guard. The sound of a Vindicator burst to life just behind them. Abby did not have time to check to see it was Paul as she spun her Vindicator up and fired at Nathan, his shields failed, his body took hits, and he spun away.

Abigail didn't have time to celebrate her victory or force the issue as she rolled to the left, just before a burst slammed through her previous position. She toggled the guard who had fired the burst, and eviscerated the man through his gut.

"Scatter and move!" Abby shouted into her intercom as she was forced to reload.

The guards began to fire at them as Abby had to run through the corridor to the left, she fired a burst, and another guard met his fate. She fired two bursts into the Krogan just to spite him before marching down the corridor and fired at a third guard, killing him with three bursts, which forced her to reload.

The gasses spewed around her providing her the perfect opportunity to escape through the gasses. She was doused in quiet, the dull reports of weapons fire came down the hallway she was at.

She scanned down her Vindicator, expecting a threat to materialize in front of her at any second, waiting for it, and not trusting the silence in the least.

"Raah!" Ragaruk leapt out of the hallway at her with a glowing fist that he proceeded to slam into her ribs, causing her to wince, and jolt back.

The Omni-blade deployed across her side as she ripped it across his body causing his shirt to sizzle. He grunted and slammed a fist into her shoulder in rage causing her to scream and drop to a knee. She punched out with her fist and connected with his parts, causing him to howl, and to her forcing to crawl back.

Ragaruk slammed out with a hand and slammed her arms to the side causing her to drop the Vindicator. Abigail leapt back and glared at Ragaruk who glared back at the space in front of her; he smiled with his face full of Batarian teeth at her, and marched slowly towards her. He stopped as he glanced down at the Vindicator, and then slammed a boot down onto it with his boot causing it to crack and spark.

She hissed as she scrambled back, trying not to stumble over her feet, continuing to scan the area with her eyes darting about looking for something she could use. Raguruk marched forward quickly trying to close the distance between them.

Her eyes darted to the left just in front of the charging Batarian, a pipe and a release valve _high pressure_. She smiled and went into Adrenaline Rush, the Batarian seemed to freeze in front of her, his fist flowing again, and she ripped the Suppressor from its Holster, applied incendiary ammo, and fired.

The first burst split the valve open causing a jet of steam to flash in front of the Batarian, Abigail fired again causing the fuel to catch on fire, Ragaruk screamed. She fired a Concussive Shot through the fire for good measure.

James's grunt of pain forced her to spin around. She glanced back at the Vindicator briefly wanting to scoop it up but knowing such a gesture would ultimately be pointless and symbolic.

"James!" She yelled out going back towards where she heard him. "James!"

Another grunt and she thought she could hear a "Lola" drifting in down the hallway. She followed it making her way towards the noise.

Eventually she spilled out onto another central chamber; she had to blink her eyes clear of the sudden light. When she managed she saw James Vega and the Krogan grappled with one another, James trying to get the Krogan's hands off his neck, the Krogan trying to squeeze with all of his might.

_No!_ Abigail thought as her hands leapt to her Omni-tool and raced her hands across her display toggling the new app she loaded. It came up and she brought the Omni-tool up slowly, and fired, the bow appeared on her arm, and the bolts raced down it as the holographic string pulled back.

The bolts leapt off her arm and all six of them plowed into the shoulder of the Krogan warrior. The warrior yelled out and turned to her, charging in a blur.

Shepard's eyes widened as her hands once more raced across her arm applying a new app, the crossbow collapsed quickly forming into a shield. She slammed it down into the decking just in front of the Krogan who charged into it, freezing partially in the process. Abigail used her arms and pushed off on the warrior driving him farther back.

He retaliated by growling and slamming out a clenched fist, right across her face, causing her to spin and for her to yell out in pain as her jaw snapped dramatically. Shepard sprawled out before him, and he took the opportunity to bring his fist down in a hammer blow. She flinched, but he growled as James's Vindicator hit him in the back.

The Krogan growled furiously as he turned around to face the new threat to take the final burst from James's Vindicator to his face.

Abigail scrambled for her Suppressor pistol reaching for the weapon; she fired into the Krogan's back causing it to catch on fire. James fired a carnage causing an explosion which Abby felt the heat from. She quickly followed the explosion up with a Concussive Shot mixing into another fiery explosion before her.

The Krogan's eyes widened, his weight gave out from under him and he toppled to the ground. But yet he still lived.

He lay on the ground glaring up at Shepard, she got up on her hands and knees then managed to heave herself up onto her feat towering over him.

"Please, please." The Krogan croaked out, "Spare me, let me live."

Shepard stared at him coolly for a second, and then grimaced as she placed her Suppressor in a weaver stance, looked down, scowled, and fired two bullets into the Krogan's brain casing.

She stared down for a second, making sure he was dead.

"Lola, Lola!" James interrupted her concentration.

She turned to the soldier as he came up to her, she felt the tension leave her body by an inch and her shoulders slumped.

"James."

The resistance leader came up behind her out of the fog of industrial waste, "Now what do we do, our forces are decimated, and who knows where their reinforcements are?"

Shepard scowled and opened her mouth to speak, but winced from the jolt of pain.

She grimaced and tried again, "We blow this place to hell."

"How?"

Abigail glanced at James.

"Anyway we can." The Soldier decided.

Abby nodded her agreement.

"Fine, looks like there is a heat controller down here, take that out and the whole place should go up, but we should really pickup sticks and head the other way."

Abigail nodded and held up six fingers, the resistance leader froze watching her limp towards the exit but complied quickly by going to get the explosives. He placed them down and fiddled with the display.

"Come on," James said leading the way.

The time ticked down as they moved quickly down the catwalks. Any resistance was swatted aside, literally as Abigail charged into an Alliance guard, her Omni-blade switching out, slamming into his gut, then flipping him over the side.

From there on it was clear sailing out of the facility, they emerged out of a pothole into the smoky sunlight of Chicago, they dove for cover as the ground shook below them, a gout of flame appearing out of the pothole. Sky Car alarms and emergency services blared in every direction, they didn't have much more option other than to move as rapidly as possible away from the scene of the crime.


	25. Chapter 25

_Normandy-Bridge_

Cameron braced his knees as the _Normandy_ transitioned out of its mass effect tunnel into normal space at more normal velocities, her engines cut in propelling the _Normandy_ forward again heading for the planet ahead of them.

An explosion flashed above the cockpit canopy as they drifted past, Cameron glanced up to see an Alliance Heavy Cruiser take two hits from projectiles, and vomit a return volley into the stars.

"Status?" He asked turning to Joker.

"It's a real shit storm out there, erm…Commander. We have Turian, Alliance, Geth, and Quarian forces all around us trying to kill one another. It's gonna be hard to plot a course through the debris field, even with the stealth drive."

Cameron nodded slightly glancing over the displays around Joker's console. The blips on the screen chased each other, one was yellow showing friendly forces, the _Normandy_ was blue, and the enemy was red. The fleets were engaging in ever closer examples of gun play, and there was no sign they had been detected yet as there was no sign of pursuit and none of the ships were peeling off for their direction.

"Are you going to get ready?" Cameron heard Ashley speak from behind him.

"Yeah, just wanted to see us come out of FTL and set a course for Rannoch. Joker, ETA?" He turned back to the pilot.

"Give us about seven minutes before we are in a comfortable position to release the Kodiak. And then say a quick prayer that none of the fighters detect you on the way down." Joker chuckled.

"Right," Cameron turned around and headed for the cargo bay.

_Kodiak Cargo compartment _

The Kodiak drifted over the surface of Rannoch, undetected, making only the slightest noise as they maneuvered down the plains and up a mountain range looking for any signal.

_What the hell are we doing?_ Cameron sighed. "Cortez, got anything yet?"

"Nothing, but maybe the Quarians don't know we're here, we didn't exactly advertise our presence, and if they sent a signal without knowing we were on sight that could expose the Admiralty board to further danger."

Cameron nodded, _right, how silly_, he toggled his omni-tool and sent a burst transmission over an open signal; it was not enough to let anyone know _where_ they were just that they were here. Both friend and foe alike.

"Commander, we have gotten a response, Quarian emergency signal about two hundred kilometers from here in what looks like an old Quarian communications station, I am also detecting signs of enemy forces in the region."

"Then take us there, quickly." Cameron admonished.

After two minutes they were floating over a platform attached to a walkway leading towards a facility with a com sat on the top of it facing the stars. Cameron assumed that was their final destination as he, Miranda, and Garrus leapt off the hovering Kodiak onto the pathway.

He deployed the Revenant into his hand and scanned the area quickly, Garrus got his Phaeston out, and Miranda let the pistol at her side stay in its holster.

Cameron led them to the base of the facility and entered it, weapon drawn out in front of him, aiming down it, as he checked his corners, Miranda and Garrus following him in very closely. _Got the A team back together again_. Cameron grunted the thought smiling at being reunited with Garrus and Miranda again, whatever the universe he knew he was well looked after.

No one was here, at least not yet, so they proceeded deeper into the facility, and into a central room filled with modern computer equipment streamlined. And a few Quarians standing in the room over a central table, one of them quickly snapped his assault rifle up and pointed them at the crew.

"No!" Admiral Shala'Raan held up her hand, "I recognize some of the people here…you must be from the _Normandy_."

Cameron nodded.

"And you are?" Shala'Raan vas Rannoch state.

"Cameron…" he sighed, _Abby is right, no need to confuse them_, "I am just Cameron, former Commander, Alliance Navy."

"I see," Shaala caught her up short and turned to Garrus.

"He is with us Admiral; we are here to evacuate you to the _Normandy_." Garrus assured her.

She nodded, "We'll see, but the enemy forces continue to break through our lines and we here reports of ground forces in the region, fighting has spread through several of our new settlements. The Alliance is using advanced mechs, hunting for us."

"Hunting for you? Why?" Miranda asked.

"Without the Quarian Admiralty Board our Government would collapse. They, curiously, do not have the forces to force a capitulation on the part of our planet; they are hoping to distract us." A new Quarian spoke out.

"She is the replacement for Admiral Zorah." Shala'Raan pointed out.

"I see." Cameron nodded, "so this is little more than a delaying action?" Cameron asked.

"This is what our technology indicates."

"I see." Cameron stated.

After a second Miranda muttered out, "Come on, we need to head out of here before the forces intercept us."

"Lead on," Cameron stated as the two guards took the lead, Cameron and his squad brought up the rear, followed by the Admirals.

They fanned out onto the platform and looked down the range.

"Cameron, is the _Normandy_ really in orbit? We need to get-"

One of her guards held up his hand in a fist, "Hold on."

"What is it?" Cameorn said after waiting for a second.

"That!" The guard pointed out down towards the end of the compound.

Cameron spun towards the disturbance as he spun back when the guard got hit; he reached for the Revenant making sure to deploy it as the two groups charged. Miranda bent down to behind him checking the man's pulse, he was clearly dead, the other guard took a similar hit, as Garrus rushed forward.

"Whoever you are! You are surrounded, surrender the Admiralty Board and you will be given safe passage!" Amanda's voice pierced down the platform.

"Do you honestly expect us to believe that?" Cameron growled.

"I fail to see what choice you have."

Cameron glanced at Garrus as they both nodded imperceptibly, "This!" He ran forward strafing right to the cover as his Revenant began blazing in a long stream of firepower into the huddled mass of forces. Garrus snapped off a few bursts from the Indra as he leaned behind an over turned plate.

Miranda unleashed an overload blast vainly into the air.

Amanda and the squad proceeded to fire back at them but since two of them were armed with shot guns it was a little hard for them to hit the _Normandy_ team. Cameron looked up over the range and saw the unidentified squad mate in the report, and then Corbullo was the principle opponent engaging them with long range rifle fire.

Cameron popped up and peppered the Turian's position with his rifle fire from the Revenant pinning him down. Thus giving the chance for the Qurian Admiralty to escape and find cover of their. Shepard smiled slightly before firing the rest of his thermal clip down into the range.

Garrus too added the Indra to the mix hoping to give them just enough cover and just enough range to let Miranda move up. It was a risky proposition since both sides had excellent cover. The Phoenix operative managed it though as she began deftly moving from what little cover there was to the next one, but Amanda and the other operative began to fire back at her with precise pistol fire finally pinning her down, and Amanda was beginning to move into a better position.

Amanda leapt over the barricade and Cameron saw his chance. Miranda and he charged forward in a wave of blue biotic energy, each of them slamming into Miranda as one, knocking into her full bore.

She rolled to the side and tried sweeping Miranda's legs out from under her, Miranda leapt up, Cameron charged forward with a glowing blue biotic fist, which Amanda dodged deftly, forces his hand up, and fired a shot gun blast into his chest taking his shields done.

Cameron rolled away before she could get another blast off and Miranda, being the dutiful operative, moved to cover him. That was all he needed as his shields began to creep up again, and he noticed the other operative was taking advantage of Miranda hand himself engaged with the foreign operative so Cameron charged into him phasing through the barricade and slamming into him.

The man flinched and attempted to bring his shotgun around but Cameron was too quick spraying him with Revenant fire. He dove to the left under the barrage just barely managing to save his life, Cameron moved to pursue him, but a shotgun blast nearly intersected with his face.

Cameron ignored it and rolled around the corner and fired two more bursts from his incendiary enhanced Assault Rifle, the weapons burned through the man's armor causing him to scream, and then twitch into death.

A yelp from Miranda caused him to whirl around, she was still locked in a life and death grip with Amanda, and the blond had gripped Miranda's raven hair and was twisting it. Cameron looked at the two women struggling and aimed with his Revenant, pausing, hesitating, _this isn't the best weapon for this sort of thing_, he moved to switch the Revenant out for the Carnifex, but he exposed himself to Corbullo which launched an Overload at him.

The electric blast took down his barriers causing him to roll away from the suddenly pouncing Turian Ghost. The concussive force from the impact with the ground caused him to grunt and stumble for a minute, but he brought the Revenant around and caught the twin Omni-blades before they could do any serious damage to him, he grunted again pushing the Turian off who used the opportunity to swing around at his head, causing Cameron to grunt.

"Garrus, a little help!" He implored.

And Garrus rushed over to help him running right past the two women who looked like they were holding their own. _Not exactly what I meant_, he grunted, _but I guess I could use the help after all_.

Corbullo separated and fired a burst at Garrus who launched an overload taking out the man's shields; the Ghost applied a stimulant pack restoring his shields to full. Garrus fired off twin blasts from the Indra knocking into him, nearly taking the shields down again.

Cameron braced himself to charge when Miranda's shriek of pain interrupted him, he froze and spun slowly around to the target, just as he saw Miranda drop to the floor, clearly unconscious.

"Garrus!"

"I got this Shepard, go on."

Cameron charged at Amanda again driving her away and preventing her from doing any more damage to Miranda.

…

Garrus stared at Corbullo who stared right back at him across the limited expanse, them without any cover.

Garrus charged in flipping out the Omni-blade and fired a burst from his Phaeston. Corbullo responded by taking to the sky and firing down at the former Turian general, who grunted as he dodged rapidly to the left. He turned around bringing the Phaeston up into his hands, and saw nothing.

He glanced around the bay and still nothing, other than Amanda and Cameron still dealing. A whistling sound cause him to spin around as Corbullo came back over the platform from the other side hovering in midair, grinning down at him. The Turian ghost took the moment to fire with bursts from the Phaeston bearing down on him, forcing the Turian operative to take cover behind where Corbullo once was.

The Turian lost his power and had to come in for a landing, this allowed Garrus to pounce on him; he flung at his body tackling him. Corbullo took the momentum and threw him to the decking causing his mandibles to spike with pain.

"Give up Garrus and surrender, this is the end."

"Not on your life," Garrus spoke as he jolted a foot out catching Corbullo in his chest.

The Turians spun around and faced each other circling the other as they both grunted. Corbullo charged again and Garus hit him with another overload blast, the Turian ghost tensed up and tripped his rocket pack sending him skyward. Garrus picked up on the disadvantage quickly and fired his Phaeston at the other soldier. It nicked his fuel tank causing another explosion as Corbullo careened into the sky, and slammed into the cliff face with a sickening thud.

He took a second to smile before turning back to the other combatants, frowning.

…

Cameron Shepard and Amanda were still grappling, their weapons forgotten long ago, he whacked her across the face with a biotic assisted back hand and she kneed him with a biotic assisted blow. Cameron grunted, _in full body armor, this is kinda ridiculous, but we can deal_.

He caught a blow going for his shoulder and they both glanced up when they heard the explosion and saw Corbullo fling himself into the wall.

Amanda howled and launched Cameron off of her rolling down the platform as she took off heading in the other direction.

Cameron coughed and scrambled around for the Revenant, picking it up he fired down the barrel a line of sparks following Amanda as she leapt off the edge of the structure tucking her legs up into her, and hitting the waiting Kodiak right into the cargo compartment.

_Damn_, Cameron whistled as she took off, _son of a_.

"Come on, we have to go!"

"What?!" One of the Admirals called out.

"She'll be calling in air support," He yelled back then toggled his communicator, "Cortez, we need you down here ten seconds ago!"

"On my way Commander."

He looked over and saw the silent form of Miranda, and he jogged on over to her and collapsed at her side on his hands and knees.

"Miranda," He grunted.

No response.

He reached out an arm for her, slowly, gingerly, and then touched her arm.

She twitched and turned towards him blinking, her eyes widened, "Get away from me!"

He flinched back, having no response in mind, as the shuttle began its hover. Miranda and Garrus traded a look and headed down, followed by the Admirals, Shepard sighed, and looked skyward as he heard a noise.

Two Trident fighters rocketed in their noses pointed towards the deck.

Cameron Shepard yelled as he took off towards the Kodiak, the bursts fired trying to follow him as he leapt into the Kodiak. The Kodiak powered up and took off, rapidly darting around the Tridents and using their stealth to their advantage. All with the Quarian Admirals safely aboard.

And a very disturbed Cameron.


	26. Chapter 26

_SSV Normandy-Medical bay_

Abigail Shepard sat on one of the beds in the infirmary as the _Normandy's _CMO stiffly ran an omni-tool over Shepard's jaw. Abby sighed; _well I guess my earlier plan went over well_.

The tool beeped in the doctor's hand and she brought it to her face and ran her hands across it. It took several seconds for the tool to beep in response and Abigail saw the doctor's mouth twitch slightly in an approving smile. She turned the omni off and moved to face the Captain.

"You suffered a slight jaw fracture, but nothing too serious." She explained heading over to her equipment table and picking up a device. "This should do the trick." She explained coming back. "Now, lean back, this won't hurt a bit."

Abigail nodded slowly and did so, reclining in her chair and watching the device move towards her cheek wearily. The thing snapped and hissed as it touched her cheek and a sharp pain jutted itself across her flesh. "Ow!" She cried.

The doctor snorted a bit as she turned to place the instrument back on the table. Leaving Abby to rub at her cheek slowly with her tongue jutting out and frowning. The cheek was a little numb from the prodding but it was quickly dissipating.

"I thought doctors weren't supposed to lie?" Abigail glared as Karin came back to her bedside.

"Who says? I know plenty of doctors who have lied to patients in their time of need to get them through stress. People do odd things when they expect pain."

"I thought that was the doctor's first rule."

"No, that's to 'do no harm'." Karin quoted.

"Right…" Abigail muttered darkly, "how silly of me."

"Anyways, you should be in perfect health, the numbing will go down soon and you will be able to talk uninhibited."

"Thanks Doc." Abigail nodded stretching before getting off of her bed and heading out of the table.

She hesitated at the foot of the medical bay; _ I wonder what message Miranda will have for me this time_. The seconds turned into a minute, and the minute turned into several, but still there was no response. She sighed satisfied before moving onto her cabin, moving the twenty or thirty steps she required to cross the mess hall to her quarters/ office. And, _no one was there_.

The Captain shrugged moving over to her desk and drumming her hands against the table for a moment. Before reaching out and typing up a quick message _come quickly, my quarters_ that she addressed to Cameron before sending it off.

It took him a minute to appear in her doorway with an eyebrow arched curiously.

"Please, come in." She stated somewhat annoyed.

He did so, and said nothing.

The former Spectre sighed, "I heard you decided to rescue the Quarian Admiralty board."

"It was that or let them be captured, or worse, by the Alliance forces. Besides Amanda was there, there was some reason she was there, and she is directly related to the crisis that is going on back home and the team hunting us."

Abigail leaned back against the desk and folded her arms with her chest frowning, "Yeah, and Nathan was on Earth waiting for us. Or at least mobilized to expect us, so what of your orders? I told you specifically not to leave Omega"

"It was only a short trip from here to Rannoch," Cameron protested, "no more than two days. And as we pointed out Omega has defenses of its own. And they have no idea we are here for the best of our knowledge, no fleets have been mobilized to stop us."

"Still, it was a risk."

Cameron frowned, "We both know we need allies, Abigail, the Qurian Admiralty board, along with the Geth, represent the most powerful military forces in the Galaxy that have not been influenced by the Leviathan's. They were probably trying to achieve a quick victory, either by neutralizing the Quarians and the Geth, or through converting them."

Abigail shrugged, _I wonder_, "still, our evidence only suggests that they can control organics only, not synthetics. Until we know more that is our best guess certainly."

"So at worse the Quarians would have been knocked out of any war, betrayed by the Alliance and Turians betraying them…or they would have fought a Civil War." Cameron muttered.

"Yeah," Abby smirked, "or they would have declared war against the Alliance. I mean you poke someone in the side and you don't know how they will react."

Cameron shrugged, "maybe, but the Quarians know such a war will be costly and they likely wouldn't be able to defeat the combined forces of the Citadel fleet, it would be a war of attrition and mutual destruction. They have enough forces to do some damage but not enough to win without major causalities of their own."

"Probably explains what the Alliance is up to in the first place."

Cameron toggled an eyebrow at her.

She sighed, "Well think about it, we know from our mission they are building a new battle fleet. But it's not ready, probably won't be ready for years. There are other Council races out there other than the main ones that may've not been effected. Then you have the Quarians, Kurl, the Batarians, and the rest of the Terminus. The Alliance is launching delaying actions, keeping people off balance long enough to finish their projects."

Cameron nodded, "Makes sense I guess, but it's still a hell of a risk."

"'Fortune favors the bold'" Abby quoted.

Cameron snorted.

Abigail looked at Cameron, _well, he's here, and we have to talk about this_. "I also heard a rumor of what happened between you and Miranda."

"_Nothing _happened, not really." Cameron shrugged.

Abby gave him a _come on_ look.

Cameron sighed, "Since when is caring about a crewmember a bad thing?"

Abigail gestured with her arm, "You touched her Cameron, when she was _sleeping_, knocked out, whatever. But the point is I think she can sense how you feel about her, most women can you know. And she knows _why_ you touched her. She is smart enough to realize you had feelings for her in _some other universe_, and that she is the same woman but _not the same woman_. It would be like you falling for a woman, that woman dying, and then you hitting on her sister at her funeral when you realize she has a twin."

"Been working on your metaphors much?" Cameron said bitingly.

She glared, "You know I'm right Cam."

He shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. But you know what? It's hard….you know what I did to end the war? The choice I made."

"Not the one I did." She remarked.

He muttered, "Well yeah, Control. I turned myself into a Reaper and used them just long enough to repair the relays and the Citadel and the damage to London, then I left, I downloaded my former consciousness into a cloned body then sent the Reapers to their demise. And I hated every minute of it. Three years of it. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I had Miranda waiting for me at the end. The perfect woman with a heart of ice that I taught to love…"

Abby chuckled at the description.

"…but I had to do without her for the Galaxy. But I found her again, we got married, we were building a life together on that apartment Anderson gave us, but then after only a few months of bliss, I was torn away. Again. This time without my choice."

Cameron hesitated and Abby opened her mouth to speak…

But Cameron barreled on, "And meanwhile what is she doing? Where is she? Is time going on as normal in the other universe? Is she moving on? Am I MIA, KIA, neither, both? And how do I get back to her? So yes, I care about Miranda, _both _of them, but not just because I want a replacement, but because I miss the other one, and am a good person."

"Fair enough." Abigail said her voice softening, "but you have to give her time Cameron. Time to get used to her, time for her to know you won't take advantage of her and see her as entirely the same woman. If you push, it will just do more damage."

Cameron nodded, "Yeah…" his voice drifted off, "So, was there anything else?"

Abigail racked her brain for a second, "nope, nothing."

"Alright," He nodded.

"Dismissed," She smiled.

He bit his lip before spinning around expertly and moving out the door, she turned back to the door moving back to stare at the latest intelligence reports from the Shadow Broker and the Phoenix organization. She heard the door hiss open behind her.

"Cameron." She heard James say surprised and darkly.

"Lieutenant," Cameron went for the formal response.

She heard the scuffling of boots as the two maneuvered around each other, one coming in, and one coming out. James's presence stopped behind her, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence, the hairs on the back of her head and neck began to prickle nervously.

"So, what was that?"

Abigail turned to him finally and scowled, "We were just debriefing, going over recent events and the situation here as we were gone."

"I bet." James remarked dryly.

She turned to face him full on, "This again?"

"Well secret meetings in your quarters, going on with one another, barely sparing another thought for me, how can a guy not be suspicious?"

"You never struck me as the jealous type James." She batted at him.

"And you never struck me as the evasive type to direct questions." He retorted.

Her face flushed angrily and her eyes narrowed, _why you little-_

"And just what happened on Earth? You've been better than that, and you were limping around like you could barely contain yourself? Just what the hell is the matter with you?" James took a step.

She recoiled, "nothing, I'm fine James; I've been busy fighting the war and don't have time for this."

"Then make the time."

"I can't, this is the greatest threat we've faced, the entire Galaxy that has fought and bled with me, have been turned against the very principles they hold dear."

"Then you need to let us help you, tell me what's going on, this isn't like you."

"I'm fine, I can handle it James."

"So this is the greatest threat we have faced, greater than the Reapers, yet you are doing this alone?"

She sighed angrily, moving for the door, "I need some air; I'll be back later,"

"Well take your sweet time! After all the universe won't fall apart on your personal-"

The door closed behind her allowing her to sigh and march down to the observation room.

She arrived, and frowned, crossing her arms over the view port as she began looking out towards the distant stars. Loosing herself in the stars as they drifted by the view port, lazily, letting herself go ever so slightly, trying to bleed the stress off with the cold of space.

It wasn't long before she heard a familiar throat clear behind her.

She turned around as her eyes refocused, beholding the familiar sight of Garrus the Turian.

She smiled, "Hey you."

"Shepard, you busy?" Garrus nodded towards the view port.

"Nah, just thinking."

"Mind if I join you?"

She shrugged, "Sure knock yourself out."

He did so leaning against the bulkhead glancing out at the stars as they whirled past. He waited for a few minutes, "So Shepard, it's been a while."

"I just had to take a short vacation to Earth, nothing big, ran into some old friends." Abigail smirked.

"Yeah I know, just been concerned you were staying away from me for personal reasons. If I said something to piss you off."

She glanced at him, frowned, and hesitated, "why would you say that Garrus?" She said finally.

"Oh you know, other than war rooms and personal reports you really have not had much time among the crew. Spending most of your time holed up in your quarters, running over status reports…or Spirits knows what."

She sighed angrily, "Look if you have a point to make then just make it."

"Just an observation," Garrus droned defensively, "you are isolating yourself from us. Intentionally, burying yourself in your work. Despite you always making time for your crew, always dealing for our personal problems no matter how petty. Now you can't even bring yourself to walk down the hall and visit us."

"That's not fair." She muttered.

"Isn't it?" Garrus counted.

"No."

"Well in a way you have a lot of down time, more during the Disciple Crisis, more during the war, where that was rush rush rush. The _Normandy_ has not been attacked recently, there are not a lot of places in the Galaxy that can help us, yet we have had little interaction with you. You are becoming distant, pushing people away. Like-"

He hesitated; Abigail shot him a look, "Like James?"

Garrus winced, but slowly nodded.

"Well look, I'm fine." Abigail attempted to bat aside.

"Right, well you are pissing a lot of people off on the way to 'fine.'" Garrus observed.

"I didn't come down here for a lecture." She snapped.

"Fair enough," The Turian said turning to leave, "but just remember Shepard: You won not because you were special, or because you challenged the status quo. You won because you forged us into your team, you took us along for the ride. You wouldn't have made us without earning and ensuring our loyalty to you. So if you insist on burning your bridges you better be damn sure you really can handle things."

Abigail huffed blowing her air out of her lungs as Garrus left the room, waiting for the end to come.

…

"_We surround them, but we have to build alliances and bridges if we are to make it. No man or no force in the universe can stand on its own, save for perhaps God Himself. Without others to forge and build, loves, and friends, we will be easy pickings for the forces that mean to tear us apart. Because the balance of good and evil is one that often comes down to numbers, and who can best organize those numbers. Who can be the more powerful and charismatic leader and articulate their ideology the best. _

"_Without this force nothing can stand." _


	27. Chapter 27

_Normandy-War Room_

Michael Ellison stood across from Faulkner who was pacing gently in the back ground across the table, he was looking in the air his eyes trying to focus, but another jolt of pain caused him to wince. _Maybe they are right; it is so hard to think_. The thought caused him to shiver dramatically.

"Hmm, could be, could be, need to test the process, hit one of the outer colonies? No too risky." Palin's muttering broke him out of his reverie.

"What was that?" Michael turned his head to the energetic Salarian scientist.

The Salarian swiveled around him and blinked. "Oh, thinking about deploying VI assisted swarmer bots deploying into the upper atmosphere of a target planet which will deploy white noise filters." He sniffed. "Problem is developing proper delivery system, can't be _Normandy_, too risky, too small, and lacking appropriate delivery methods."

"So you think that white noise will stop the indoctrination…ah!"

Palin inhaled sharply.

Michael's face fell, "It's just…hard to think…every time I think about…" his voice trailed off as a wince wracked his features.

"It's the same way for me," Keith said leaning on the war room master displays, "It's just so hard to think, and every time you get close it just…wipes the thought away."

"Fascinating." Palin muttered.

"If you say so." Michael said sharply.

"Any clue could make all the difference, mental blocks, pain against thinking, could be similar to Thorian control, conditioning the mind in any way."

"But how does that…ah…oh for crying out." Keith yelped.

"So what was the Thorian then? How did it control people?" Michael asked.

Palin blinked.

"What? It's been years since I have heard the news. I might've missed the whole thing on the Thorian taking control of anyone; I don't even know what that means."

"Not that, you are not in pain."

"So?" His eyes then widened "Oh."

"Exactly," Palin nodded.

"Uh the rich corporate executive is somewhat confused here." Keith muttered.

"He did not react to the mentioning of Throian mind control meaning…"

"Meaning that if we do not think about Reaper or Leviathan Mind…ah!"

"Yes, might be wise not to do that." Palin smirked.

"So the Thorian?"

"Created conditioned response from people, used parasitic spores which infected Alliance colony on Feros, manipulated them, used them, created a conditioned pain response when they thought about resistance, or informing the authorities. Used them as tools. Used them for its purposes."

"So this Thorian was able to convince people to become pawns via spores and…what…advanced telepathy?" Michael asked.

"Exact assimilation method unknown." Palin mused.

"But it could be a key." Keith said tentatively then looked skyward as if waiting for the plating to fall on his head.

"Could be." Michael shrugged. "But how does it help us?"

Palin hesitated, "Could indicate difference, Thorian Mind Control is like pain control, Reaper uses pain stimuli and hallucinations to effect conversion, Leviathan's seem to use different method. Instead of _convincing_ people through methods to join them out of their own 'free will' they complete take over."

Michael and Keith both winced but didn't say anything.

"So the objective is to block or destroy the control signal." Palin muttered.

"Well the source of the Thorian's control, we need to find it then." Michael mused, then on the looks, "what, helps me think."

Palin smiled then shook his head, "no, too hard, too easy to not find the Leviathan control spheres. Too easy to have traps laid. Best system, is to neutralize it."

"So then we might want to find out how the Thorian communicated with its victims." Michael mused.

"Then apply those lessons to a larger scale." Palin agreed.

"Right, this is going to end well." Keith muttered.

_Crew Deck_

Cameron Shepard maneuvered his hand gently pouring the contents of the canister into a mug, as it steamed in it blazingly. He took it and moved over to the table blowing on it gently. He sipped it, and winced, _still too hot_.

A footstep caused him to look around as James entered the room, scowling, as he entered and headed over to the gallery.

"James." He muttered trying to gain the man's attention, break him out of a self-destructive course.

Vega's hand started slipping spilling the contents. After he steadied he moved to glare at the Commander behind him, Cameron glanced at him unfazed.

"Something wrong?" Cameron asked, not wanting to know if something is wrong, _that is obvious_, but what was going on in the head of the usually bright and chipper man.

He looked up and sighed, "Its Abby…we had a fight."

Cameron smirked, "I sympathize but I am sure that tends to happen with all couples every now and then."

James's glare deepened, "Actually the fight was about you, at least in a way."

"Oh?" Cameron's eyes decided to widen themselves despite his best efforts to keep his expression neutral.

"Well yeah…"James hesitate sighing, "I just think you are spending too much time around each other. I mean, I just wonder if her feelings for you are replacing her feelings for mine."

"Oh." Cameron smiled grimly. "Well if it's any consolation there is nothing between us. I am too wrapped up in my feelings about Miranda, and I am not really into the whole redhead thing, relax James. And I am quite sure I am not exactly her favorite person right now."

"Oh," James smiled wryly, "then why can't she say that?"

"I don't know maybe you have to ask her." Cameron suggested gently.

He grunted, and then looked at him. "I don't know even when we weren't together we could always talk to one another. We got each other, we may not have always liked it, but even at our first meeting, even when she was yelling at me, we respected one another, there was respect. I knew why she did what she wanted and was just frustrated at the situation. But now?"

Cameron waited on him urging him to continue with his mind.

"Now she is distant, now she is hardly here, now she is pushing me away, treating me like some nuisance. I mean I believe her, all she has to say, but she is just going around it in such a back handed manner."

"And it's frustrating?"

James's shoulder slumped, "Yeah, I just can't put my finger on it. And it's not just me she just seems tense, colder, colder than usual."

"Well I don't know, I don't know her, I don't know her background, there are still parts of her background I have not even the least idea on." Cameron pointed out.

James smirked, "Well this isn't like her, she has been known to push the bounds of proper decorum but not completely violate it. She has been known to do things with her squad and completely keep things on the up and up, even when it hasn't been easy."

"Yeah, similar to me."

James eyed him for a second, "So you haven't gone through any dark impulses and haven't completely kicked your crew to the curb because you were having issues?"

"Well, of course I did. When I lost my entire squad on Akuze, it took me a while to get back on track. Though I shut up and isolated myself in my quarters. And when…when I lost Miranda briefly…well I had a trial to worry about and all that time alone to just think about what had happened."

"And?" James pressed.

"And it's not worth taking your pain out on the universe." Cameron assured. "But people react to this sort of thing differently. And without knowing her history I do not know how to judge."

"That is something she has always been tight lipped about, I only know of a portion of it." James admitted his eyes fluttering. "Doesn't stop me from loving her though."

"No, it usually doesn't stop love." Cameron agreed.

James sighed, "Well maybe that is the answer, just apologize and beg her to take me back."

"_If_ you did anything wrong, but I have been watching her since we started this mission and she does seem on edge, quick to take harmful action to others. Granted she is capable of that from everything I have heard, but I also heard that she can be surgical about the use of such things. Just surprising is all."

"Yeah, and what is up with her physically? She even looks off there."

Cameron nodded, "yeah, I caught her limping once. I just wonder…what happened on the roof top with Nathan, what she is putting herself through to try and win, physically and emotionally."

James nodded.

"So what is the deal on Torfan? It's a touchy subject, I've heard reference to it, but I cannot see her personal involvement, and personally just really haven't looked and dug since I've been here."

James blinked, "Well Torfan. It was a Batarian moon, or other Terminus pirates that used them to attack the human colony of Elysium."

"Oh right, the Skyllian Blitz, I remember that, in my universe, and now Torfan. It was bombed from orbit when the team who went in was ambushed and ripped apart."

"Right, the same here, except in this universe Abigail got them through the breach. Well more or less. People did accuse her of putting her squad intentionally through the meat grinder. And then she shot the Batarians which tried to surrender, killing them, wiping out most of her squad in the process. And some called her a hero and some called her to the carpet, even going as far as investigating it as possible war crimes. So I've heard anyways."

"Jesus."

"Yeah, and then who knows what happened after that," James shrugged, "She practically did the special forces thing after the battle, and disappeared, not until she was back on the Citadel and saved it from Saren did she reappear, a changed woman."

"So something happened to her in the mean time?"

The man shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine Loco."

"Hmm." Cameron stroked his chin which was beginning to look slightly stubble due to the growth of hair which was starting to come in. "I just wonder then, if there is only so much fight left in a person before…"

"Before?" James grunted.

"Well look at the events of her life, Torfan, the Reaper War, saving the Citadel, stopping the Collector abduction of humans. The list goes on."

"So, what, you think she is just doing a hissy fit because she has led a rough life and has had to fight? The woman I married wouldn't do that."

"I know James," Cameron nodded, "but I've been there. In the trenches. It looks frustrating on the outside all this happening to people, of no one believing you despite yelling out and confronting monsters in the face, but to actually live it? To actually be the lead and to take the brunt? I mean if you yelled out and said it they would cause you a crazy conspiracy theorist? But for us, it was personal, and it damn near destroyed the entire Galaxy."

"You think?" James pressed.

Cameron shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I don't know her well enough, but I know me, I know what is going on through my head."

"So what do we do about it?" James asked.

"Talk to her." Cameron said, getting up and heading for the elevator.

_Normandy-War Room_

Abigail Shepard walked down into the war room entrance and into the pit watching Palin turn to her. "Status?" She asked.

"Yes. A breakthrough has been made." Palin breathed.

"And?" Abigail sighed _I hope they get on with it._

"And, well, we were looking at the Thorian for inspiration, trying to see the differences between it and our current situation."

"And in so doing hoping to come up with a counter measure." Keith supplanted.

"The Thorian why?"

"Short cut doesn't seem to cause the pain response when thinking of Reaper Indoctrination or that of the Leviathan."

As if on cue Abigail saw Keith and Michael wince. She arched her eyebrow over at them, _interesting_.

"In short, believe we have found a way. It involves countering the sphere's, by transmitting enough white noise to block out the Leviathan control signals." Palin explained.

"And how well this help?"

Palin sighed, "Believe that Reaper and Leviathan techniques work differently. Reapers _convince_ someone to join them. The Leviathan's physically hijack a subject in most cases and then use them for their purposes. So if you disrupt that signal, like you did on the Garneu mission and at the dig sight, then theoretically we could stop them from controlling their subjects and set them free."

"Any ideas on how?"

"Yes." Palin smiled and his eyes twinkled as he turned to the control panel, he typed in a series of commands. The hologram in the center of the table changed and revolved to a primitive looking cylindrical device with cylinders along the edges and an antennae sticking up out of it and maybe a dish. "This, it's a device that can block Leviathan signals up to one thousand Kilometers. And anyone else that uses their technology, thus giving people a moment of freedom."

"And that freedom we can then use to hijack onto a larger system giving us time to organize a resistance?" Shepard smirked.

"At least it will give us time for some confusion as it sets in that people have been mind controlled." Michael shrugged.

"And," Palin continued, "We will need the Omega supply yards to begin construction of these devices."

"Do what you have to, use whatever resources, I am sure I can organize it with Rannoch Kurl later." Abigail said, and then she nodded at the three of them before beginning her march back to the tech labs.

She turned the corner her head spinning from the implications, another fifteen things to do, and very little time to accomplish them, where she ran head first into Cameron without really seeing him.

"Cameron." She winced and said by way of apology.

"Abigail, I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait for a bit? I'm in the middle of about ten different things. Palin just gave us a heads up; he has apparently come up with a technology that will allow us to block the Leviathan control signals." Abigail grunted jabbing her finger over her shoulder.

Cameron stiffened and moved to block her, she arched an eyebrow up at him and debated swinging her Omni-blade out, _oh what the hell_?

"Actually, this can't wait." He said firmly.

_What?_ She debated bull rushing him now but there was something about him, his demeanor, the way he looked at her, the perfect presentation of Paragon and Renegade, it made her stop cold in her tracks. He was looking at her with eyes narrowed, the blue laser beams piercing her, but not with fear or suspicion, only holding his position firmly, yet there was sympathy too coloring his features. _And that is what is making me stop_.

"My quarters."

Cameron held out his arm and moved to the side letting her lead the way. She nodded and did so, glancing at Traynor as she passed. _I am not used to this, being led_. She entered the lift and the two of them quickly went down to deck 3, then even quicker to her quarters. No signs of James or any other crewmember at their posts the only one who was within reach at least was Chakwas, but Cameron was brokering no further conversation on the matter. So, resigned to her fate, they entered her office.

"You wanted to…" She let her voice trail away; _I really do not like saying the obvious_.

"Yeah," Cameron nodded, "In short you've been wild of late."

She smirked, and brought up an innocent sway to her hips, "Oh I have have I?"

"Stop it," Cameron scowled, "And that is not what I meant."

"I know," She sighed twirling around and saying in a petulant sing songy voice, "everyone is concerned by my wellbeing."

"And has it occurred to you everyone has a point?" Cameron pressed.

She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest, "Come on, really? People can be wrong, large groups of people can be even more wrong, just look at any of the recent political elections if you want evidence on the smarts of group think."

"But we aren't society, we are your friends, many of us have stuck with you from the beginning."

"So you are counting yourself in the _Normandy_ crew now?"

"Why not? I have been here longer than most people in my position, and you got to know them and welcomed each and every one of them with open arms."

She sighed, "Alright, I'm sorry, that was unfair."

He returned the sigh, "Alright, I have seen your record, I know you, I _am_ you to a certain extent."

"How sweet." She bit into him.

"See, was that really necessary? You have been pushing people away and you just have been getting bitterer towards everyone around you."

She opened her mouth, froze, and then closes it turning away from him again.

Cameron continued to hammer into her, "You have to admit you have been acting a little erratic lately."

She felt her shoulders slump, "Yeah, I know, but it's just me…it's always been just me…against the Galaxy who comes after me again and again."

"I know the feeling, I've been here. But how do you think you can handle this by doing it all by yourself? When you couldn't handle the Reapers?"

The human Captain met her accuser with silence, exercising all of her rights; her cat gave her a curious meow from the side.

She heard a sigh behind her, "Alright Abby, alright. I will leave, but I just have this question to ask: Are you sure this is the right thing to do? You forged your legend with others at your side. So, if you are right that the galaxy is at stake, and then you better be damn sure that you can handle it alone. And if you can't, you better be sure you can be prepared to face the consequences, alone."

Her shoulders slumped, and she felt the weight of the galaxy weighing on her. "It's just hard, after all we've been through. How can I get close to people? Mordin, Thane, Kaidan, and every conflict I just end up losing more people. Every conflict brings more pain. You have to be distant, I got too close."

"Look Abby, I know the thought, I've been there, I have lost people under my command too, but without that connection, what do the people under your command become? Pawns on the chess board? Pieces to be thrown away? And then what becomes of you? Because we won because of the connection, we are only the best because of the people around us. Yes, it hurts, but without that pain then we wouldn't try just as hard the next time."

His words pierced her, but instead of tears and angst, instead of hurt, a cool resolve began to settle into her, along with the sweeping purifying power of the realization she had acted irresponsibly.

But she turned, and smiled, and nodded, then began to head for the exit to her cabin, Cameron close in pursuit.

They arrived together into the CIC of the ship, and they looked around, Abigail nodded her thanks to Cameron.

"I suppose, I suppose I have been acting a little…odd…lately. Well that's going to change." She saw James shuffle on his side of the bridge. "And that is going to change, I still do not know what the future holds, or how much time we will have for our personal needs, and be the family we should always be, but my…attitude…will change. We are a family, we should act like one…but in the meantime we still have a long way to go, if we can't do it together, then we will fail.

"So tonight I renew my promise between both you and God, to be a good person, to connect with my crew, and to stand together as one.

Good luck." She shuddered and added in a whisper, "to all of us."

The crew nodded to them and got to work, Traynor smiled and handed her a report which she took and nodded glancing through it.

With that, it was really time to get to work, and meet with a Krogan warlord.


	28. Chapter 28

_Arcturus Station_

"Prime Minister, Prime Minister!" His aide came in waving a data pad in the air and running towards the desk breathlessly.

The Prime Minister, who was meeting with his 'staff' turned around to face the aide, "Yes? What is it?"

"Our listening posts and intelligence experts have been mining the data of the _Normandy_ combat operations in the Terminus Systems. They believe there is only one place they can be, the pirate station Omega."

"Figures," Admiral Jameson grumped.

"Omega?" Nathan said via hologram, "Weren't we planning a strike on the station soon?"

"I was going to advise against it, until our new forces come online we are spread a bit thin throughout the entire Galaxy trying to fight and secure and throw off our enemies throughout the region. We are just plain running out of ships and man power." Jameson explained.

"Well this changes things." Soren grinned.

"It does?" Courtney arched her eyebrow.

"Yes, our greatest threat is there now, we need to keep up the pressure on her and not give her a second to breathe. Not one second to gather her wits and come up with a new way of kicking our butts. The time to strike is now, just days after she has been on Earth." Soren pointed out.

"We don't have the ships." Courtney grunted.

"We do, we take them from other commands. This will only be temporary for if we defeat Shepard then we can build the new fleet at our leisure."

Courtney folded her arms over her chest, "If you say so but she is just one woman. A very skilled woman, but a woman."

"No, Shepard is a _symbol_, a powerful one. People rally behind symbols, and the more time we give her more time we give her to realize that. Plus if we take out Omega we will remove our last major obstacle in the galaxy, the rest of which is divided into camps of what they should do about our growing aggression, again giving us and the Turians time to commission our battle fleets and VI assisted infantry."

"Still, unless Kurl has removed the station's defenses that Petrovsky put in when Omega was under Cerberus management, and he is a Krogan after all, this makes Omega a fully armed battle station capable of ripping opposing fleets to shreds."

"If they get close enough, we can send in Frigates and Fighters to take them out, we have the ability, they don't, unless they have conjured a major battle fleet to defend the station Omega's defenses are ripe for the taking." Nathan blurted.

The Admiral cocked her head to the side and arched an eyebrow, "True, I guess."

"Work out the details, we will draw some of our forces off from other assignments and then coordinate with the new research division for our mechs." Soren steepled his fingers.

"Orders?"

"Use the forces to pin Omega down and engage their forces, and then either in space or on the station kill Shepard and her crew, or capture them if you can. But either way they are the priority target, if you have to abandon the attack on Omega then do so, but Shepard goes." Soren explained.

"Yes sir." Courtney nodded.

"Nathan, you will take point on this. Use whatever forces you have to obviously but you are specifically trained to bring her and her crew to justice. I trust you implicitly on this."

"I will do my best sir."

"We need success."

"Yes sir."

_Omega Markets_

Abigail and Cameron Shepard marched down the center aisle of one of Omega's many corridors and alleyways, they were chatting amicably picking up some things for the _Normandy,_ and some luxury items for the crew. Abigail's voice stopped mid-sentence, just talking about some bit of interesting and trivial minutia from her career, swapping war stories with her male doppelganger, and she turned to see that Harrot's emporium was all set up and sitting there delicately.

"Hey look," She said pointing and then turned to Cameron with a wry smile.

"Harrot? Never liked him that much, seemed sleazy, and what was with the cigar in his mouth?"

"Yeah I know, but come on, what do you say we throw the guy a bone?" Abigail piped up and winked at him.

Cameron smiled, "Not sure I know what you have in mind… but I think I have the idea."

She nodded as they both began moving their way over to the emporium, the Elcor seemed to notice them as his head slightly swiveled in their direction, waiting for them.

"Courteously: I hear you have been promoted to Captain, welcome Shepard. Bluntly: Congratulations Captain."

Shepard nodded, "Thank you Harrot."

Harrot took a long puff from his cigar, "Suspiciously: Do not expect a discount."

Abigail chuckled, "That's OK, we have an offer to make for you," She leaned forward, "maybe something that can even get us a discount."

"Curiously: What is it?"

"Ready Cam?" She turned to him.

"Ready."

She started, "We're Captain…"

"…and Commander." He added in smoothly.

They both finished "… Shepard, and this is our favorite store on Omega."

Harrot made a grunting noise, "Enthused: Oh yeeeaaaahhh. With Gratitude: Please, take any of the mods you want."

Cameron and Abigail grinned at one another, but the mod selection left a little bit to be desired. Any of them that looked good, they had, and some of them in better model too.

Together they nodded their thanks to the dejected Elcor, finally deciding on a series of biotic specialty power bars for Cameron to take back to the _Normandy_. They left making their way slowly through to the airlock where the _Normandy_ was docked at on the other side of Omega. Already working out with Kurl what they came to work out. It took them a few minutes to get there.

_Normandy-Airlock_

"I guess no matter what universe you're in, Omega is always Omega." Cameron muttered as soon as the whir from the decon finished.

"Oh?" Abigail replied raising her voice into an innocent feminine purr. "Just as dark, dank, depressing, and full of the scum and villainy of the universe?"

"Something like that." Cameron grunted in ascent.

The human Captain grinned to herself, but the grin disappeared into a nervous frown as her husband, the illustrious James Vega, stood waiting for the two of them on the other side. He leaned against one of the bulkheads directly opposite the airlock doors, arms folded across his chest. Though it looked like he was trying to sleep as his eyes were fluttering open at their appearance.

"Have fun." Cameron whispered in her ear.

Abby nodded stiffly marching forward. Her mind was racing _what should I say?_ But nothing was occurring to her after several minutes, what seemed like several minutes of staring. Finally she settled in on "James, I'm-I'm sorry."

To her slight surprise the Lieutenant Commander beamed a smile at her as he nodded, "Hey it's OK Lola."

"What?" The Valkyrie asked growing incredulous, "After the way I have treated you it's suddenly back to business, no questions asked?"

The husband of the Valkyrie nodded, "Well, I love you, if I didn't I don't think this would've worked in the first place. But that love entitles you to a certain leeway, so you are forgiven. Hell I've been there, been driven a little insane when I've broken due to combat, but ultimately it seems you pick yourself up and just get back to work. I mean on Fehl Prime I ran screaming and crying into the night in grief, not exactly my prettiest hour."

She smirked, "Wait, what, you, the manliest Vega in the entire universe _cried_ once?"

"Ha, well that was certainly one of the craziest shit storms I've ever seen. It would have been more unnatural _not_ to try at that point."

The steely human Special Forces operative, savior of the entire Galaxy, nodded gravely. But suddenly she was seized by an impulse and leapt at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. The Lieutenant Commander almost as instantly reciprocated by attaching himself to her and holding her tightly.

"Uh, Shepard?" He asked haltingly.

"Thanks James," was all the woman managed to croak out, "thanks for being here, for waiting for me."

"Hey, don't mention it Abby, we all lose our heads, and you'd do the same for me."

She laughed sobbed and brought up a bright smile, "Well, I would _hope_ so." She sighed. "Truth be told I took out my anger on the universe on all of you. Garrus, you, Cameron, any random terrorist that got in my way. Here the universe put me in a major crisis, again, after all we have been through, I just wanted to rest and to deal with the occasional threat. But now we are dealing with an enemy who may even be even more dangerous than the Reapers, an enemy which is threatening all of our lives…felt like the universe broke a promise."

He gripped her tighter, "I agree, but the universe isn't always fair, it doesn't give us what we want. But if we weren't capable of making a stand then we wouldn't be in the position to do it in the first place."

Abby nodded stiffly, "Yeah, I know, I forgot that lesson once, it shall not happen again."

"I know Abby, I know, but hey this is all a little public and…"

His voice drifted off as if on cue Miranda Lawson appeared at their side. "Am I interrupting something?" She announced.

Abby smirked ruefully as she released the much larger man and detangled herself from his bear like reach, "no, not at all, what is it Miri?"

"Well, our intercepts have picked up something. Soren knows we're here, and has sent a battle fleet to us, they'll be here by the end of the week."

Abigail scowled deeply at that display of information, "War Room, _now_."

_War Room_

The Senior Staff all the way from Shepard down to Joker was gathered once more around the table looking at a projected invasion path, a line extended from Horizon to Omega, at the Horizon end of the line showed a bunch of ship types along with the estimated numbers.

"The Alliance sixth fleet and eighth frontier division have received their attack orders for Omega… or at least a newly organized unit made up rom combat sections from the Alliance representing the sixth fleet." Miranda explained.

"What are we dealing with?" Shepard asked peering nervously at the numbers.

"Over a hundred warships and at least ten landing craft," Miranda replied dryly.

James whistled dramatically off to the side. _The perfect punctuation to the bleak report_, Abigail thought bitterly. She looked around the table and saw similar sentiments in the faces of her crew, Traynor, Garrus, Paul, and Cynthia, all of them stared wide eyed at each other and were waiting for her to do something, _anything_.

"That's a lot of ships." Cameron cut in.

_Yeah real helpful Cam,_ "And what do we have?" She asked.

Miranda shrugged, "hard to say, not until we begin coordinating and seeing what the allies in the region have, but I doubt they will be willing to do much to help us."

"Right, the Quarians are dealing with their problems. Gee, makes you wonder if that was the plan all along." Cynthia remarked from her corner.

"She probably isn't wrong," Ashley mused, "We're outnumbered and outgunned, staying here would be suicide."

"And yet we have nowhere else to go." Abigail shook her head.

"Come on there must be someplace." Ashley protested.

"Where?" Abby fixed the _Normandy_ CO with an eagle's glare. "Akesh? Hagalaz? Aite?" She said pointedly, and sighed, "Besides anywhere else we go we will have to start over, likely with fewer resources then we have here. This is our last stand. Either we win, or we don't."

Cameron sighed, "How did it come to this anyways? How'd they find us?"

Miranda bit her lip, "_Well_, running combat operations in the Terminus, and this is a base in the Terminus, it could be a logical hypothesis."

"Yeah," Ashley cut in, "but then you send in a scout ship, not an invasion force."

"Its irrevlevant," Abby countered, "they are coming, we have to stop them."

"Our success is less than assured," EDI commented.

James snorted, "Gee where have I heard that one before?"

"Alright, alright," The Captain asserted her authority by calmly raising both of her hands palm outward, "Now that we have decided we are staying, we have to decide _how_ we are going to stay."

Miranda shrugged, "We have a lot of forces to divide even if they are nothing compared to what we are facing."

"Exactly," Abby agreed, "We have people here who have fought impossible odds before. We just need to do it again. And besides, we have an ace in the hole, we have _two_ Shepard's."

"Right I will get out my magic boom boom stick that I keep just for impossible situations." Cameron retorted.

"Hey, it's better than last time we had to face an impossible situation." Abigail smirked.

Her crew shared her view, finally smiling and glancing at one another. She could feel the spirits, the morale, _and more importantly, _the hope rising in the room. Enough for her to work with.

"Alright, Cameron, you'll be leading the ground team on Omega. Coordinate with Kurl and whoever else is down there, as a matter of fact I might want to do that before too long. Take whatever personnel you need, though Garrus might be needed here. EDI, Traynor, get in contact with the Geth and Quarians, ask for whatever help they can send our way, remind them how we helped them and apply directly to their leadership." Her eyes moved around the table. "Miranda, see what else is out there in terms of a resistance or mercenary forces that we have available to us."

She saw nods greet her appraisal.

"And what will you be doing?" Cameron asked suddenly.

"Leading the space forces, at least a first. You'll be on the ground team; Ashley is CO of _Normandy_ so she works. I will be doing what I can to coordinate what forces decide to show up."

Miranda shook her head, "Omega is a defensible position, and even if we only get a couple of squadrons of ships we might make a fight of it. Assuming they aren't successful in neutralizing Omega's defenses."

Abigail smiled, "Then that is your job, make sure we're secure, and draw me up a line of battle."

Miranda smirked, "Wonderful, speak up; get saddled with more impossible tasks."

"Hey," Abby grinned, "impossible is our middle name." She turned to the group again. "Alright, we have a lot of work to do. But we've been here before, we know the drill, do your jobs, and whatever else happens, we'll give them a hell of a fight."

Heals clicked together at her announcement as the crew saluted and marked her words in various forms.

"Dismissed, and James, could you come to my quarters please."

It took a few minutes to get there but when they did, the door barely closed before she was on top of him, slamming him into the bulkhead with enough gentleness to not cause a concussion. Her lips pressing down on his hungrily, both his and her hands trying to find the creases in their uniforms to get them off, finding it difficult with their passions grazing their bodies and hitting their erogenous zones, drawing sharp hisses. But eventually they managed it, and off they went on a blinding carefree rollercoaster, the stress leaving their bodies almost as quickly as they gathered up a sweat.


	29. Chapter 29

_Omega_

Abigail's eyes seemed to have narrowed themselves into a permanent position of the Predator's Gaze. But she couldn't help but smirk at the _audacity_ of it all. _That is if I am right about who the former Krogan general still is_. She considered the thought for a split second, given the recent revelations of her behavior she wondered if she had projected an insane mistrust on the hapless Krogan. _No, he hasn't done anything to actually prove he isn't trying to build an empire out here, yet. _

"What do you think?" His voice graveled out causing her to jolt slightly.

She eyed them again studying them; _they certainly are impressive_, the meta objects pointed downwards to a new docking bay cut into the Omega rock formation. "I see them, I acknowledge them." She blew out the air of her cheeks again seeing the squadron of new fighters docked in the bay. "_But,_ why wasn't I informed of their existence, until now?"

Kurl's face pulled back into a semi sneer, "Because it was not relevant at the time. Do you tell your superiors or your officers and men every stray thought which may occur to you, every bit of intelligence?"

_Usually_, "Yeah, as a matter of fact."

"Do you tell them as soon as you find out yourself?" Kurl pressed forward instantly as if she had fallen into the perfect logic trap.

"I tell them as circumstances permit." Abigail grunted.

"Then circumstances now permit that I tell you I have been gathering fighter squadrons and trained pilots for Omega's defense." He barred his teeth in a grin that managed to convey both triumph, and ferocity.

"For Omega's defense?" She bit sarcastically.

He scowled and his eyes narrowed, "Of course, why else?"

Abigail thought about it for a second before answering, "Aria _never_ armed Omega. To her it was criminal back water hardly worth the attention of the universe. A vital port for Terminus Systems interests, but it never paid the Council or anyone else any head given it was more profitable to keep the station intact and 'defenseless' rather than invite a major military attack. You have done so. I wonder why."

"And look what happened to Aria, the second Cerberus wanted the station, they took it, forcing her onto the Citadel. And now she's dead." The last was said bluntly.

"True enough, but Fighters can project power."

Kurl snorted, and barred his teeth again, then began to _laugh_ at her. He tried to restrain it, but it spread throughout his body and caused it to rumble until his throat was emitting the tell-tale sounds. Abigail arched her eyebrow and crossed her arms at him giving him a minute.

He finished and shook his head, "Yes, true. But how much power? With the Quarians making inroads in the Terminus Systems, even with their current problems, acting as a counter point to any pirate activity the power they could project are minimal. To project enough power to do anyone minus a few rogue mercenary bands I would need _ships_, Frigates, Cruisers, a Dreadnaught could come in handy."

"It's a start, besides Aria was able to gather a fleet to her when she attempted to retake the station."

This did nothing to assuage Kurl's mocking grin, only making his eyes narrow. "Aria's fleet was a rag tag assembly of Turian and Alliance rejects, a fleet which was promptly crushed, I would have to start. Even with the state of the Galaxy, and _especially_ with the state of the Galaxy, since the Reaper war beginning to build a battle fleet would be suicide."

Abigail waved her hand in a _go on_ expression.

"With the Reapers destroying most of the Galaxy's star navies down to their bare minimum any attempt to build a battle fleet by a formerly rogue Krogan Warlord in the Terminus Systems would cause alarm amongst the politicians. Even the Council would react quickly to the challenge and move to eliminate me before I could start the…"he grinned, "Terminus Rebellions."

The Valkyrie sighed, "OK, fair enough. Doesn't mean you wouldn't start building one anyway, just for spite. Especially with the chaos in Council Space who would notice a Krogan general building a fleet."

Kurl sighed, "True, I suppose. And I should have been building a fleet to protect myself from the now aggressive posture of the Alliancce and the Council Governments." He turned to her, "but this situation was unforeseen, especially by me. A Krogan, huddling in Omega, with no intelligence services."

Shepard nodded slowly, "Alright, regardless, we need these fighters now. Are the pilots trained?"

Kurl chuckled, "As much as can be expected for a mercenary unit made up of some Vorcha and a rag tag assembly of other species, without any real military discipline. Most of _them_ returned to their respective home worlds, and _I_ was no pilot."

Abby stroked her chin, "And Joker is _no_ drill instructor…but they will have to do."

"Agreed." Kurl grunted.

"Well, onto the next bit of news." Abigail said spinning on her heals as a way of dismissing Kurl, but mostly to refocus her mind on the _next_ problem.

_Omega-Residential Area_

"You _sure_ about this?" Cameron Shepard asked as they walked down a dark…and dank…corridor heading for Omega's residential area proper.

He saw Abby's natural frown deepen, "You _aren't_?"

"We just agreed to arm a civilian population and put them on the front lines of a major battle." Cameron explained.

"Ah the Aria problem."

"Sure, Aria ordered her people to be armed in order to manipulate Nyreen." Cameron remembered needlessly.

"Yeah, I approved of her actions, just not the reasons for those actions."

Cameron shot his compatriot a look and crinkled his brow angrily.

"What?" Shepard narrowed her eyes and swiveled around to him. "This is their _home_ Cam. They have every right to defend it from any foreign invasion how they know best. I am willing to bet that most people, when it came to it, even if they would not pick up a gun to join the Alliance Military or Police Services they would pick one up to defend their home, and family, from attack. In fact, it happened during the war."

Cameron nodded somberly.

"Besides," Abigail muttered, "most of these 'civilians' are one form of mercenary or another. And the occasional war vet looking to escape the hassle from the Alliance after things went south."

Cameron snorted, "Right, but not all of them are, and in fact I doubt its _most_, just people trying to find a place in the universe like anyone else."

Abigail shrugged, "I suppose we'll soon see."

Cameron nodded seeing the hatchway open up before them, the sign they were reaching their final destination. The path opened up as they entered a metal courtyard of some sort, about eighty meters long, cleared away of any clutter or anything that could get in the way of the demonstration. Cameron eyed the tightly grouped clique of civilians and Omega population, about eighty in total, standing in a ragged undisciplined line.

_Well, at least we know they aren't military_, Cameron thought glumly.

He moved to the center of the group and eyed them, "My name is…" he gulped self-consciously, "Cameron, I am an ex Alliance Navy Commander with the designation N7. That means I am the best that my species has to offer in military discipline and skill. I have been asked by my immediate superiors and Ranaak Kurl to train any volunteers into an effective fighting force."

Cameron let his words sink in glancing across the rows of civilian trainees waiting to be here, less than he expected. _But, if they were a part of a mercenary arm or former military then they would not waste their time trying to learn how to shoot. And they would not lower themselves to learn 'military discipline'. _He shifted nervously, _if I am right then that means that Abby was wrong, well mostly._ He needed to continue the presentation.

"I will be teaching you how to shoot, how to use a weapon, how to engage a target with orders from superior officers and designated noncoms, and I will be teaching you discipline under sustained enemy fire. Now, before we begin, are there any questions?"

"Yes, I have one." A smooth voice spoke out from the back.

Cameron swiveled to face a female Batarian who was glaring at him. He nodded at her.

"We're just Civilians, what are we supposed to do against trained soldiers? How are we supposed to defend ourselves without being slaughtered?"

_Good question,_ Cameron shifted nervously; he tried to come up with a proper response. "Trust me, I will train you to get you-"

He heard an annoyed sigh from his right and turned to see Abby step forward scooping up the Avenger he had there to use as his base weapon.

"This is a gun." She hefted it across her chest. "This is not a snake, it is not alive, it has no will of its own. It's a tool, of death and destruction, but a tool, one that can be controlled and harnessed by anyone. The only difference between a Soldier and a Civilian is a piece of paper certifying them as such. Anyone can learn to shoot, anyone can learn to shoot military grade weapons, and anyone can use them, for good or ill, that is up for you."

_Other than a certain ease of access to equipment_, Cameron smiled wanly, but Abby ultimately had a point.

"So," The Valkyrie cocked her head to the side, "Shall we begin?"

He saw eager nods from the crowds mixed with a few timid ones, but no one left or shook their head. She beamed at them and turned to Cameron, "Good luck."

"Thank you." He nodded as she turned to leave, and then turned back to the group, "alright, form into lines and step forward to the firing range."

The group turned into three lines and marched to the firing range they set up next door. It was a target range with a series of eight targets set up down fifty meter range.

_It will do in a pinch_.

Along the line there were Avengers, Phaestons, a couple of Mattocks and even a spare Revenant placed along the arms table. Along with three thermal clips next to each weapon, and a box of thermal clips along the wall in the back.

He took ten minutes to squeeze off two clips from the Revenant going through all the proper, and even some of the improper techniques. Aiming down the sights, 'firing from the hip', simulating checking around corners, short bursts, long bursts, the principles of muzzle climb. But there was no way he was going to be able to teach them everything so he let the group loose on the targets.

The Commander watched the troops from a distance. They were surprisingly good, at least as far as their fire rate was concerned, but the good news was at the very least they were willing to take it slow. Firing off small bursts, or single bullets, getting comfortable, some not getting comfortable at all, but few of them just completely hosed the trigger in the early going, other than the man arming the Revenant.

After about a minute Cameron decided to have them swap, moving completely to the next station with the people shifting mainly from left to right. Cameron peered in at the Mattocks, the woman manning it, a Turian, was using the weapon pretty expertly just firing above the bulls eye. _But, the Mattock a baby could effectively use, at least for accuracies sake_. Cameron knew, even though he preferred the Revenant. _Which, I suppose is the point Abby was trying to make_.

After the people cycled through the weapons he sent them at it again, this time going among them and correcting mistakes and trying to show the people how it was done all the while keeping track of the time, _God, what I wouldn't give for a competent NCO, at least they are disciplined_. But, this was his show, his responsibility if they were going to get ready for the upcoming battle.

_Normandy-Bridge_

Abigail walked down the neck between the bridge and the CIC, cup of coffee in one hand and datapad in the other; the latter showed the preparations and defenses that Omega had waiting for any of the potential attackers. Most of the main batteries that Cerberus deposited in their war effort and occupation of the station remained; many of those were still operational though it was hard for Kurl or anyone else to obtain parts to keep them under maintenance. But, along with the three fighter squadrons Omega would certainly provide a great line of defense for them.

"Captain," Traynor startled her causing her coffee to slosh to the deck, "sorry."

Abigail muttered darkly, "It's ok Lieutenant, report."

"EDI has finished consulting with her opposite numbers and the Quarians and the Geth are only sending us twenty ships a piece."

_Twenty?_ Abigail's eyes widened. She gave Traynor a dark eye.

"The Quarians and Geth are not willing to risk that many forces for a high risk operation, especially with so many of their fleet currently down for repairs due to the attack they suffered." Traynor explained, "Don't shoot the messenger."

Abigail snorted, and shook her head, "I won't. Was it really that bad?"

"The Geth wouldn't say, but nevertheless there we are."

The Captain sighed, her shoulders slumped, _I feel like I've just lost_. "Any more cheerful news?"

"Well," Traynor smiled brightly, "I have heard from a rogue Alliance unit, they broke off from Alliance command five months ago. They say they are willing to join us."

"How many?" Abby smiled.

"Five."

_Damn it Traynor!_

"Its five more ships then we had five minutes ago." Traynor pointed out.

_Very helpful,_ "We are still outnumbered nearly three to one."

Traynor shrugged, "You'll find a way."

Abigail arched an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because you always do."

As if that was the most obvious piece of advice Shepard had ever been given in her life the communications spun on her heals and returned to her duties. The Captain watched her go her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed, but slowly she began to smile, that smile slowly spread through to her eyebrows and caused them to spread out. She shook her head and continued to her cabin.

_The humor before the storm_, The Valkyrie smiled ruefully.

…

"_The Forces of tyranny move on the last stable Citadel of Freedom and liberty. Win, lose, or draw, it is often the struggle that matters. For every time you say no, every time you make a stand, then the more likely you are to be remembered, and your struggle will not be in vein and will be remembered. To have future generations take up the cause again, for no force of tyranny can ever truly survive. That is the promise of our struggle." _

**AN:** Well, a lot of people have been subbing and favoriting this story of late. Welcome. Reviews are always appreciated. Tell me _why_ you like this story or why you don't, maybe you are just adding it because it reminds you how horrible something can be? Either way your reviews will be more then appreciated.


	30. Chapter 30

_Omega_

Cameron Shepard stood on top of an Omega sky scraper looking out over the alleys and streets that made up Omega. _It still doesn't seem right, a skyscraper on a space station_. He glanced up, and saw Kurl in all of his armored glory looking around the station on a platform which placed him above his surrounding troops, which included for the Spectre right now James Vega and Miranda Lawson. Paul Leighy and Cynthia Jackson were here too, just elsewhere.

"You sure that's a good idea standing there?" Cameron asked incredulously.

"When the battle starts, I will move." Kurl replied simply.

"OK…"

"It is good for me and my troops to be here, to be seen; it gives me confidence and lets me know I am alive, leading a great battle. It gives my troops the confidence of seeing a _Krogan_ is on their side." Kurl relented to explain.

"If you say so, I would personally prefer to be alive."

"And if the gods smile down on us we may yet live." Kurl grinned.

"And if they don't?" Cameron asked.

"Then it comes down to our skill, are you skillful Cameron Shepard?"

Cameron nodded stiffly.

_Normandy-CIC_

Abigail Shepard leaned over the well of the Galaxy Map watching the path between the local relay and Omega, the likely invasion path, waiting for the show to begin. This was probably something she was the least suited to do. While she personally 'led' the attack to Earth it was more of an "Attack" and "fire". The individual commanders and leaders made the decisions on how, before she rushed off to Earth. _Now_ she was responsible. For the Geth Programs in the Geth ship, even though they couldn't probably die and just transfer. But for the Quarians, for the Alliance forces that had decided to join them, and for the three Omega fighter squadrons that Kurl had generously made a part of the _Normandy's_ 'air wing' under both her and Ashley's personal command, _a unique enough experience as it is_. She smirked ruefully.

The Galaxy Map trilled at her as the display focused in on the distant Relay. Ships started to pour through it of various Alliance and Turian makes and models, at least one hundred and fifty of them, all divided into task groups, and flying in tight formation. The Cruisers protecting the Dreadnaughts, and the Frigates protecting the Cruisers. Finally it stopped.

"All ships commence check ins." Abigail ordered.

"Geth command, all ships active and waiting the commands o Shepard-Captain."

"Quarian fleet checking in."

"Free Alliance task group awaiting your commands Shepard." The male Alliance controller leading his ship checked in.

"Paragon Squadron here." Shepard smirked as the first of the Omega squadrons checked in.

"Renegade Squadron checking in."

"Black Devils, ready to punch the Alliance back through the Relay." The last squadron, all Vorcha, hissed in.

_That's everyone_, Abigail thought. "Traynor, get me the Alliance ships on frequency, send it in the clear so there is no way they can ignore it."

The communications specialist nodded typing in the commands on her computer display without a second word. As soon as she was finished she looked up and gave Shepard a subtle nod.

"Attention, Alliance Fleet, you are participating in an illegal invasion of a Sovereign power, withdraw from this space and return through the Mass Relay or you will be fired upon."

"You will find Shepard that we have the proper notarization and legal chain of command here." A male voice spoke over the intercom.

"Alright, now that I have your attention, you have the legal authority but do you have the moral one?"

"You and your station represent a threat to Alliance Interests and Galactic stability," the voice persisted, "a threat that must be dealt with."

"_You,_ are the one declaring war, _you _are the one who is upsetting the cosmic order." The Captain persisted.

"We wouldn't be here if you hadn't rebelled against the Alliance and stole Alliance military materials, and turned those materials over to a Krogan Warlord who rebelled against the established order, threatening the entire Galaxy with war." The voice of a familiar woman spoke.

"Admiral Jameson?" Abigail asked gripping the rail again.

"You have lost the right to call me that."

"Admiral, no, _Courtney_, listen to me. You have to realize what is going on here. Even if some Prime Minister or Parliament has signed off on these orders you, these orders are contrary to the spirit and purpose of the Charters and Constitutions to which our Governments are supposed to hold sacred. And what about everything else? The building of massive military supplies, the forcing of civilians into work camps, hell into _sex_ camps, have you been paying attention into what is going on here?"

"I have, whatever my feelings on these policies it is not the role of the military to set policy, it is not the role of the military to steal supplies and ferment revolution. If these actions are wrong then the Government will be replaced in the next election by the will of the people."

"Come on listen to yourself Courtney," Abigail felt her temper and her voice rise and took a steadying breath, "at the current rate there may not be _a next election_. The manipulation, the slavery, the blatant mind control, the elections can't be free if the people aren't."

"And you, as one woman, can't force your will on a peaceful process." Courtney said and then the com link clicked off.

"Damn it," Abigail cursed, "Traynor open a message to the rest of the fleet." She waited a second. "Shepard to assault fleet, activate all systems, and stand by for battle. Fighter squadrons, they will try to take out Omega's defenses before their Capitol Sheps reach Omega's defensive envelope, take these forces out any way you can, concentrate on troop transports as they come through. Divide your forces to protect them. Assault ships stay within the envelope and make their forces come to us, force them to engage in Omega's defensive envelope, we may not have the forces to stop them even then but they will know they were in a fight."

"_Uh Shepard, it's not like I can maneuver well if I am pinned to one general location."_ Joker grunted out.

"What, afraid of getting pinned?" Ash asked innocently, "Afraid the big bad pilots will outflank us?"

"_No,"_ Joker bristled, _"just pointing the fact out for anyone who is interested."_

Abigail and the _Normandy_ CO traded a look and smirked, but the enemy fleet surged forward causing both of them to redirect their attention. Tiny dots began to pour off the larger ones, indicating enemy troop and fighter launches.

"Five hundred thousand Kilometers." EDI reported, "Enemy forces continue to advance on us, accelerating."

The CIC of the _Normandy _grew deathly quiet, the lights darkened as the ship began its final preparation for battle. People looked up and then tentatively returned back to their displays and screens. _Most of them may not actually have anything to do in the battle ahead, but the stations have to be manned_. People were sweating, even with EDI pumping cool air through the CIC the tension was enough to cause bouts of sweat even on the steadiest of soldiers.

"Two hundred fifty thousand kilometers." EDI intoned.

"Captain, something strange." Traynor reported, "The communications between the enemy fleet has suddenly spiked, and they do not look like they are official transmissions either."

"Why not?" The Captain asked.

"Because they are being transmitted in the open."

Abigail's eyes widened, "Put them on, _now_."

Traynor's hands flew across her console.

"_General Beck, tighten up your formation, this is an order, whatever your personal feelings-"_

"_This isn't right, she is a war hero, she has enough gold and silver pinned on her chest to afford a Cruiser. And she is right, what is happening on Earth doesn't make sense." _

"_This is not the first time that a loyal officer has gone rogue, learn your history Beck." _

"_I know my history all too well, which is why I cannot support this action, it is we who are the traitors, not Shepard_." A burst of static broke over the line at the last announcement.

"_If you do not get your ships back into formation, you will be court-"_

"_People of the Turian Hierarchy and the Alliance, those who love Freedom, those who have been uneasy about our current circumstance, join me, this action is not right. Defend Captain Shepard and defend Omega, for the rights of people everywhere!" _

"Captain!" EDI yelled out, "one of the Alliance Cruisers just fired off a broadside into a Turian Dreadnaught; the two fleets are beginning to fire on one another."

"Confirm that!" She shouted over the tumult of chatter breaking out through the CIC, "and shut up, stay focused."

"It's confirmed," Ashley reported, "most of the fleet is now engaged with its self, but a few disengaged task forces are attempting to cut us off."

With her mind racing at the stunning turn of events she moved to dissect the new tactical situation. If she played it well the mass defection amongst the enemy could be the key to winning the battle. _If it's legitimate that is_. Abigail checked the screens her eyes rolling around the displays taking in the information, _well the explosions seem legitimate, the weapons fire, they could be using explosive panels along their hull, but that seems like it would be difficult when they could just pummel us into submission_. That meant she had to join forces.

"We have to save them." She toggled the fleet communications, "All ships, forward at full speed, engage the enemy, box them in between their forces and ours, try and give them something else to shoot at and overwhelm them, fighters stay behind and guard Omega, Black Devils you are with _Normandy_."

A burst of chatter met her orders, but they were filled out.

"_Wahoo!" _Joker whooped.

_Obviously at the fact he has open space to run around now and could show his piloting skills off_.

"You sure about this Captain?" Ashley quizzed, "I mean leaving the Omega defensive batteries."

The former Council Spectre nodded stiffly, "we have to save them, we have to hit the enemy before they can regroup, Traynor, establish contact with Cameron and update him on what is going on. Advise him that we are going offensive so there may be enemy forces coming his way."

"Yes ma'am." Traynor replied.

"Garrus, get ready, we have targets for you to shoot at soon." Ashley said into the intercom.

"_Oh Williams, you say the sweetest things"_ The Turian grunted over the intercom.

Abigail smirked and Ashley blinked.

The _Normandy_ surged forward and lanced through the picket lines of the enemy fleet. Now that they weren't paying attention to them because they were busy defending themselves from attack. They swooped in quickly before any of the ships could gain a target lock and looped through space, they had two Geth frigates for escort. The _Normandy's_ forward laser batteries came up and began to spill energy into space. The bolts of light slammed into the amidships section of the Alliance Cruiser causing the armor to explode and crackle under the assault. A pair of disruptor torpedoes continued the assault and continued to harass the Cruiser.

But before any more damage could be done by any party the Joker performed a perfect pivot in mid space and flipped the _Normandy _back on its edge. The Geth frigates made their own pass at the Crusier.

The fleets were fully invested, with the three way cross fire, all of the ships firing in multiple directions, the fleets going ever forward. Inexorably towards Omega.

"Keep it up," Abby ordered, "make sure they get within Omega's defensive perimeter."

The _Normandy_ pitched over and rolled past a blast trying to cut them off at the seams, Joker was keeping them one step ahead of the enemy before anyone could even get a full lock on them, causing the _Normandy_ to dance like a ship the size and capabilities of the Trident.

But their path took them careening by a Frigate that was not firing at them. Soon their weapons swiveled around and fired a pot shot at _Normandy's_ lower hull. Joker spun the ship and took them out, but too late as three rounds slammed into their kinetic barriers.

Shepard felt the ship pitch dramatically forward and clutched onto the CIC railing to keep herself from falling into the well of the Galaxy Map. Something popped and began hissing to the side as the CIC started to fill with noxious smoke.

"What is that?" Abigail spluttered covering her mouth. "oh nevermind."

"Damage report!" Ashley yelled out.

"We have a hull breach!" One of the techs reported from his station.

"Where?" Ashley and Abby said together, the latter felt her blood run cold.

"Somewhere on Deck 3, AI core, it's just a small stress factor keeping it sealed for the time being." The tech grunted.

"Doctor Chakwas is also reporting an injury." EDI supplanted.

"What the hell happened?" Shepard hissed drawing her view along the wall to where the gas had exploded from.

"_One of the enemy ships opened up on us, we thought it was a friendly since it wasn't firing on…well anyone I guess…sorry Commander."_ Joker reported.

"It's ok." Ashley smiled.

"We need to head this off," Abigail snapped, "Traynor fleet wide. Attention, anyone fighting for the side of freedom and the liberty of the Alliance send up a blue pulsing signal on your communication link. If you are against us then do not."

Ashley turned to the Captain curiously, "Won't the enemy just use our signals to confuse us?"

"They won't like firing blind any more than we do, trust me, they'll stay out of our way if they have any intention of creating clear lines of battle."

"Captain, many of the transponder signals are emitting the requested frequency you wanted, forty three in all." EDI reported.

"That evens things up a bit," Ashley grinned.

"Yes, only a little, Joker, try and drag their fleet closer to Omega, I want the station involved taking pot shots." Abigail ordered.

"Right away."

_Omega_

Drones and breaching pods streamed towards the surface of the pirate station, just above it the drones exploded as one depositing small mechs which bore through the hull and into the streets below. Other Drones locked on and spewed forth gunships and small fighters, these crashes into the holes the lead burrowers were making.

Cameron listened to the activity along with his irregular 'battalion' of troops spread around him. The metal above him sounded as though it were twisting and being wrenched apart and eaten into, his soldiers shifted in their spaces nervously. He looked up and Ranaak Kurl had placed himself on a raised platform on one of the buildings looking regal and disinterested in his surroundings and environment. _This should be good_ Cameron decided.

His attention was drawn skyward as rocket powered mech boots bursted down on them. "Heads up." He ordered drawing his weapon up skyward and aiming down the sights.

At least two hundred hands joined his as two hundred weapons came up into two hundred shoulders, and only two of them were a part of his squad.

_It's nice being on the side that has some numbers for once_, Cameron grunted annoyed.

"Stand by, stand by, fire!"

The Revenant in his hand roared to life almost shaking out of his hand as yellow streams of super-heated metal raced skyward into the gathering swarm of drones. He found it hard to track them as they were descending faster than he could pull the weapon along, but the pure ferocity of the combined fire from the three building perimeter was likely enough to cause _some_ of them to come crashing to the ground.

He ran out of bullets and had to reload quickly, as he did so this allowed him to see what the other positions were doing, and they were firing a similar wall of bullets and metal into the air at the incoming waves of enemies.

The mechs crashed into the ground in front of them on the street below and they quickly charged, running with their servos roaring, rockets going up. A mantis gunship lanced over the buildings spewing its rockets, they slammed into one of the buildings, causing it to pitch over to the side and begin to collapse. Yells of shock and panic echoed from the opposite building.

Missiles went up chasing the gunship down, striking it, and causing it to lose control and burrow into the decking behind the defensive perimeter.

Cameron went to the railing on the edge and threaded the Revenant through it, toggling a target, and firing into the crowded army of rushing mechs. Other assault rifles, a carnage blast from James, and a warp blast from Miranda cut into them, the first group of five exploded. But they were closing rapidly.

One of the mechs maneuvered to leap around the barricade and powered into the air, Cameron fired down with his incendiary based ammo catching it on fire. It stooped its flight in front of him and he hit it with a shockwave causing a massive explosion to rip its heart out. More of the mechs followed before they could recover and Cameron had to charge one of them, knocking it back slightly, and then slamming his Revenant across its mechanic face, and slamming a biotically assisted fist in front of it causing it to splutter and lose power.

The Vanguard flung into a Biotic charge at another one of the mechs skirting the edge as Miranda hit it with a warp, and James with a carnage, he hit the mech and it exploded crumpling up. He swung around and peppered the alley with more shots, but it was doing little good to slow the onslaught.

"Fall back!" he yelled out.

The crowd broke behind him but he laid down covering fire making sure they were secure in the stairwell, slowly fighting their way back to the entrance of the base to engage on the streets. _Where I have more room_.

_Normandy_

"_Whoa!"_ Joker called out.

The ship rocked dramatically at his announcement as Abigail thought he was applying a radical evasive maneuver. She clenched onto the map again stabilizing herself.

"What is it?" She called out.

"We were just buzzed by a _Normandy_ class frigate, who is now engaging us." EDI replied.

"Can you identify?" Ashley screamed out clutching one of _Normandy's_ side railings.

"It's the SSV _Market Garden_," EDI replied.

_I wouldn't want to be on that ship, might as call it the SSV…_ her stomach clenched as Joker lurched the _Normandy_ to one side and rocketed her away from the scene.

"The SSV _Market Garden_ is assigned to Burke and his crew to hunt us down." EDI supplanted once the maneuver was complete.

"Thank you EDI," Shepard replied through gritted teeth trying not to barf, even though the ship had its dampeners to maximum and mass effect fields set to limit inertia they were still bucking about rapidly.

"Hey Joker, why can't you lose these losers?" Ashley queried.

"_They are _good_, Whoa, that was close!"_ Joker pitched the _Normandy _onto its side as even Abigail thought she saw point defense lasers flash by the windows at the front of the bridge.

"Hey Joker, _calm down_ you can do this." Abigail muttered trying to calm the pilot down slightly before he did anything too rash, it wasn't often that he ran into someone who could approach anywhere near is skill level, but she was confident he could do it.

As if on cue the _Normandy_ rose above an exploding Frigate putting some distance between them and the _Market Garden_, both ships trying to gain the weather gauge, and the advantage. It was then Joker made his move, by not engaging the _Market Garden_, but he swung the _Normandy_ around _away_ from the exploding hulk and powered the engines into overdrive. The _Market Garden_ was caught flat footed having several seconds to either engage them _through_ the fire ball, or waste several precious seconds going around the thing to reacquire.

But, this course pointed them at the Alliance Super-Dreadnaught, one of the ones that were being built on Earth.

"Joker, uh, you sure about this?" Shepard asked through to the cockpit.

"_Yeah, trust me, oh and Garrus you might want to get the big gun off its mounting_."

Joker didn't get any response, and Shepard guessed correctly that he didn't need one as the _Normandy_ leveled off, pointing straight at the Super Dreadnaught, as if on cue the front batter opened up spewing a gout of blue-white flame. The blast of super-heated metal struck the Dreadnaught in the side by its engine cowling causing massive damage to the stern, Joker flipped the _Normandy_ on its back and up under the Dreadnaught as its active scanners came online bathing the space where the _Normandy _was with enough energy to fry an egg.

"That'll teach them." Ashley muttered.

"_Yes, but the other Frigate_ _is now moving to reacquire us_." EDI reported over the intercom.

"You think you can lose them Joker?"

"_Yeah, give me a second,_" the pilot replied confidently.

Captain Shepard took the period of relative calm to spring the next part of her plan, "Traynor, get me into contact with Cameron, he needs to know what is going on here."

Traynor went to work at the problem.

_Omega_

Cameron fired his Revenant stuttering the bullets down the range towards a pair of mechs who were advancing imperiously, there rockets and machine gun fire rippling out of their armor, striking just in front of him. His shields took a hit and failed, but he wasn't too concerned, _yet_.

Cynthia's sniper burst from one of the roof tops caught a mech in the head causing it to explode, Shepard shockwaved the second mech causing an explosion of its own ripping through its innards and disabling.

"_Cameron, Shepard, come in!"_ A startled voice announced over his intercom.

Cameron glanced at Miranda who nodded slowly and took his place on the firing line. She held her Tempest up over her shoulder and glared out over the boulevard. Cameron dove into a well on the side of the street and activated his Omni-tool, Abigail's grim face peered out at him.

"Cameron, you insisted on a visual?" The visage queried.

"Yeah, why not? Things just got quiet here."

His sister on the other end smiled lightly, "Wish we could say the same. We're being hunted by the ship that Nathan is in command of, just be prepared, he is probably after us but if he decides to come after you…"

As the human Captain was speaking Cameron noticed out of the corner of his eye a new force approaching him, led by the aforementioned Nathan Burke. He began laying down orders causing the mechs and his squad to begin fanning out, and swiveled his shot gun around.

He fired off two blasts in Cameron's direction, causing his shields to splutter out and then he dove off to the side and took cover next to the wall support.

"Cameron?" Abigail's voice came off of his still active Omni.

"Uh, I think Nathan is here." He replied.

"What?!"

"Yeah, him and a whole bunch of his friends." Cameron fired off a stutter burst from his Revenant hoping to drive Nathan, who was now joined by Rael and Amanda, back.

But he and his mechs and his forces advanced imperiously down the alley towards them guns of theirs blazing, driving Cameron back behind the wall. He gritted his teeth and reloaded. He peeked around the corner and the army before him continued to swell, Rael launched a warp blast at Miranda which she deftly deflected back and away from her with a biotic pulse of her own.

"Damn it," Cameron grunted, "retreat!"

"We can't keep retreating; eventually we will run out of Omega." Miranda hissed.

A bullet chunked off the metal next to him emphasizing his next point, "And if we stay here we'll be dead, now move!"

They did so without further notice.

_Normandy_

Abigail was already moving away from the Galaxy Map rail, and already shouting into the radio, "Joker, you think you can get us over to Omega?"

"_Yeah, it's me…why?" _He rolled out the last.

"Because I'm heading over." She replied bluntly.

"Wait Shepard, you can't," Ashley came over trying to intercept her.

Abby toggled her eyebrow at the Commander.

Ashley paled, "You need to command the fleet."

She smirked, "I'm not exactly good at this sort of thing."

"Well neither am I, I'm a ground pounder by birth remember."

Shepard snorted, "Well, look at you now." Ashley looked doubtful. "You'll be fine without me, just let Joker keep the ship safe and shout orders now and again, the fleet admirals know what they're doing with their fleets far better than we do."

"Alright," Ashley crossed her arms, "what about messing up the chain of command _you_ put in place, and what about Cameron? How will you feel when you come charging to the rescue?"

"Cameron won't care about it," Abby said adopting a similar posture; _at least I hope not_, "he probably would appreciate the help. And our primary focus here should be to destroy Nathan and his band and try and make sure they are never a threat again. We cannot accomplish this task with me _here_, I believe. Just like their task is obviously to make sure we are neutralized, Omega is only a secondary concern."

"_Uh, I hate to rush you two, but that oh so kind Frigate is making another pass here, if we don't launch, it might be too late to do anything_." Joker interrupted them.

Abby and Ashley locked eyes.

"I'm going."

Ashley shrugged, "You're going."

Abigail grinned, "Don't break it."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Thanks mom."

Abby's grinning face disappeared behind a closing elevator door, speeding towards the launch bay.


	31. Chapter 31

_Omega_

Captain Abigail Shepard moved quickly through the airlock door as it opened on a hallway inside Omega's twisting labyrinth. Valkyrie out, eyes peeled looking for any threat, ears pounding to the crescendo of the battle, but it sounded distant, far away, they were safe. Garrus and EDI secured the area behind her, watching her blind spots, Garrus moving to close the door as they passed through.

"Alright people, on your toes, we don't know what's in here, or where the bad guys are. We know they have mechs and we all know what _those_ can do."

"Yes, flop around at you going 'hostile presence detected' and generally making good targets for our guns."

Abby smirked at the joke but redoubled the hold on the Valkyrie and advanced forward. Through another door.

When the door cleared they saw a Krogan slumped against the next door frame, lying there, Shepard could make out a pained and grimaced expression, but little else as for identity or purpose. The Krogan weren't really aligned with anyone, but there was no reason to be reckless. They advanced in a line, pointing their weapons in the general direction of the figure. Closer and closer.

"Kurl?" Abigail said taking her Valkyrie off the target and pointed it out skyward.

"Shepard," The Krogan Warlord breathed out.

Shepard secured her weapon to its port and leaned down on her heals towards him, "Hang on, let me get you medi-gel."

The Krogan began choking and spluttering, a smile slowly spreading across his lips. "No, it's too late for that. The Pyjack who was shooting me had modded rounds, hopefully he's the only one, or one of the only ones…medi-gel won't work believe me I tried." He hacked and blood spluttered up a bit.

Abigail nodded somberly, "I don't know what to say, and anything I can do for you? Do you have family out there I can contact?"

The Krogan hissed and tried to look her in the eye, "No, nothing, no one, just me."

"I'm sorry."

He eyed her, "for me dying? Don't be, it's a good death…or are you upset that I am dying here and you are forced to admit you were wrong about me?"

She gasped and brought up a grin, feeling a solitary tear slowly making its way down her cheek, "Yeah, it doesn't happen often."

He chuckled, "Well, then I can die a happy Krogan." He closed his eyes, and Abby wondered if she should leave, if he was dead, she began to get up and started as he grumbled out, "We are so much alike, you and I, maybe not in the past but your defeat of me changed, my outlook, my place in the universe. Made me find a cause, this miserable station."

"Oh?" Shepard asked.

The Krogan nodded, and glared at her, "Is it so hard to believe that I could change? That you taught me a lesson when you defeated me? About humility and loyalty?"

She bit her lip, "Maybe, but you left Tuchanka, when the Krogan needed you."

He grunted, "The Krogan didn't need me, and I was stifled there, I needed to find my own path, away from people. Alone."

"Carving out your own little empire?" Abigail bit sarcastically and disgustedly.

"No, just to be left alone, where I could live in freedom and chart my own destiny, and hopefully encourage others in the attempt. That I could give meaning to people who lost it in the war, and that they could give me meaning, and together we could live in freedom. Is that so bad?"

She started and choked on her words, "no, no it isn't."

"Then take care Abigail Shepard, find the freedom, find your own destiny, for the both of us." Kurl stated, closing his eyes, and leaning back.

Abby glared down at him, "Good bye Kurl, and find peace in whatever gods you believe, wherever your soul may go."

She straightened and moved to join her companions, and sniffed, "Come on people, let's go."

She led them through an open door at the end of the corridor, towards the sounds of battle.

_Normandy_

Ashley Williams gritted her teeth as the _Normandy_ pulled another radical evasive maneuver, slicing through the defenses and battle lines of the fleet, firing for the few seconds she could establish a target lock on an enemy ships as they flew past.

Omega's defensive batteries were now fully invested in the battle, the Freedom Fleet, _I should come up with a better name_, had drawn the forces representing tyranny and oppression into Omega's defensive envelope and the station was taking pot shots at enemy vessels.

One of them flashed past the _Normandy's_ hull as it completed its maneuver, nearly scorching them, causing a Cruiser behind them to ripple and explode.

"EDI, what've we got?" Ashley asked glaring towards the cockpit.

"The 'enemy' forces are attempting to engage the 'friendly' forces in ever closing ranges, almost point blank, using our forces to shield them from Omega's powerful defensive batteries. Our forces are trying to pull back and maneuver firing their fusillades to try and disable the enemy. Right now it appears the Super Dreadnaught is staying out of this fight with a pair of Cruisers as escort." The AI reported in her matter of fact not stressed out in the least tone.

"Wonderful, so if we have any chance to take them out we also need to take out their-"

Her stomach fell out from under her as the _Normandy_ 'plunged' through space.

"_Uh, sorry Commander, but our friend is back." _Joker reported.

Ashley instead of giving any obvious orders steeled herself for what she was sure was going to be a long ordeal, gripping onto her station with renewed vigor.

The ship pitched suddenly but Ashley heard a distinct _boom_ and hiss as the limited lighting in the CIC darkened and reoriented itself.

"Laser hit, armor is holding." EDI reported.

_Great_, Ashley thought.

_Omega_

Abigail Shepard led the squad out of the service corridors of Omega and onto a main boulevard, a main boulevard in the middle of a pitched battle. Mechs charged rhythmically firing into a crowd of Omega citizens on the right who doubled their efforts and returned the fire.

Abigail snapped the Valkyrie up with incendiary ammo and fired it into the crowd of mechs, moving from left to right along the line, and making sure to put three precise bursts into the chest of the lead of the pack. She finished by tossing a grenade at the feet of the charging mech and it slammed into the chest of the mech, causing the fire to explode and wipe out the first rank. Garrus and EDI joined in, Garrus firing his Phaeston, EDI lanced out with an Incinerate catching one mech and Garrus added a proximity mine causing a _second_ fire explosion ripping through the heart of the enemy ranks.

The mechs were decimated, Abby smiled, she frowned when the first rank was instantly replaced by a second wave of charging synthetics.

"Come on!" She shouted, "We're not here to secure the station we need to find Burke!"

They fell back in order, Shepard using the Valkyrie to keep the mechs somewhat at bay as they opened continued down the hall. Streams of bullets erupted from the skyscrapers into the ranks of mechs, keeping the mechs at bay, keeping them clear, at least for the moment.

Abigail broke from the line running with the Valkyrie across her as Garrus and EDI followed her in. As she was reaching the line a hit across her back bowled her over sprawling her out on the ground, Valkyrie temporarily falling from her gasp. She spun around to face her attacker and found a mech deploying an Omni-blade to cut her off, she ripped the Eagle out of its holster and began to fire, her two squad mates tried, but the things defenses ignored them all. Finally a boom roared out catching the synthetic's head in the blast, then causing it to explode dramatically.

Abigail scrambled away as it fell and retrieved her Valkyrie, and looked around to see a Batarian by a service door waving over at them.

"This way!" She heard him yell out.

She picked herself up and her and the squad moved towards the figure. "Thank you." She said as Garrus filled in around her.

"Sure," the Batarian shrugged, "just trying to save our last best hope and all."

With that he sprung back to the line shotgun booming as he joined his compatriots in trying to hold this major junction of Omega. Shepard gave the battle one last look, _I wish I could help them_, before closing the door shut behind her and sealing it off.

…

Cameron was forced into a dive away from a blast from Amanda's Spike Thrower and charged into the outstretched arms of a mech who was trying to tackle him, the mech staggered from his force and he fired his Revenant, and then rolled back farther away from the battle spilling more fire covering his retreat.

Nathan, his squad, and his band of mechs were pursuing his squad through the bowels of the station relentlessly. Forcing them to separate on numerous occasions, rally with the other two, and then regroup yet again. Cameron was using every biotic trick up his sleeve, every ounce of his strength, every calorie of his copious Spaghetti eating to gain the advantage. In the tight quarters his Revenant was perfect, but since he was badly outnumbered he had to stay on the move, trying to gain the advantage.

The former Commander was currently with Paul and Cynthia, as they were surrounded by at least ten mechs and Nathan's band of merry marauders. Cynthia was dueling with Nathan a nasty looking gash in her head, and Paul was trying to find a better position to snipe from.

Cameron was jolted out of his tactical analysis as another blast from Amanda's shot gun nearly took his head off, even though his shields. He rolled and launched another pair of throws down range trying to at least give her something else to worry about.

…

_This is ridiculous_. Paul grunted behind his Valiant as he had destroyed what had to be his fiftieth mech with a precise shot to its head.

The armies of the enemy were pinning them in, over running them, forcing them to use their ammo, dogging them at every turn. Like they had it out for the squad and were using the bare minimum to capture the rest of Omega. It was certainly an effective tactic but not something that he would've expected for a bad ass multi species Special Forces squad, it was they who were supposed to hold down legions of enemy forces, not the other way around. _I would like to have seen them on the roof of the Trygerisch Corporation, or trying to hold the cargo loading area_.

But there they were, and there Paul was, so he flipped out his Valiant for a Lotus, and went to work, diving down from his porch and firing a full clip into the head of a mech, he ducked down from another sweep of the Omni-bladed Mech, he applied an Energy Drain to the mech, and another blast from the Lotus.

…

_I'm not exactly good at this,_ Cynthia thought, _when it comes to picking on indoctrinated rent-a-cops, sure, but this guy is _good.

As if to emphasize the point Nathan swung his samurai type sword at her head, she elected to roll off to the side and tried to bring her Talon pistol up out of its holster but it was batted out of her hand by the sword, and then she went sprawling back to a precise kick to her stomach. She gasped and floundered like a fish rolling for a split second, and then scrambled back on her hands, pushing with her feet, trying to get up and face Nathan.

She managed to get to her feet bit winced as she was trying to catch her breath, Nathan was marching ever closer, his sword held at his side.

Cynthia started backing away again, as she could feel herself losing control. Nathan smirked and pressed on picking up his pace, his sword twirled at his side, and he plunged forward.

Paul appeared before her, facing her, a look of pain contorted his features. They looked down as one and saw the gleaming red tip of Nathan's sword, coated in Paul's blood.

"Paul!" Cynthia gasped.

The infiltrator grunted, with a satisfied smile on his face, and fell over. Nathan and Cynthia traded a look, and the latter smirked.

"You!" Cynthia raged, charging in with one of her Omni-blades, her blow was intercepted and she was knocked against a wall, knocking her senseless.

She just had the sense to see Nathan again stalking to her, sword twirling in one of his hands, attempting to kill her once and for all.

Someone let out a feral yell, and Cynthia blacked out.

…

Abigail Shepard launched herself at Nathan Burke, the arm which held the sword, keeping him off Cynthia, and saving her life.

The two struggled on Omega's hulled floor before Nathan was able to separate and knock her off; he used his sword and slashed it across Abigail's stomach. The woman jolted back as the blade missed her by mere inches. She screamed to her feet and deployed her Omni-blade in her hand and got ready for a fight.

"Abigail Shepard," Nathan smirked, "you sure it is wise facing me? After all I have already beaten you once, and I know what this sword can do to living tissue."

"You'll find I'm a changed woman since then." She snarled back.

"Oh?" Nathan mocked with a grinning face, "We'll see about that won't we?"

Without any additional preamble he charged in, Abby brought her Omni-blade up blocking his first blow going for her head. The second blow she missed a strike with the curved pommel to her head, spots burst in front of her eyes and she collapsed, spitting and spluttering.

Nathan grabbed her by her red locks and slammed her into the side of Omega's hull, knocking her out almost again, causing her to cut her lip and another gash in her cheek. She recovered by slamming her armored elbow into the face of her attacker. Breaking his teeth, she slammed a fist into his stomach causing him to double over, and another one causing him to gasp, but he launched himself into a tackle knocking her down.

She kneed him launching him off and sprawled pouncing, Omni-blade pointed right at the bad guy. Who managed to roll away and launch his foot at her catching her and causing her to grunt out and fall to the deck.

Again Nathan charged and swung his foot catching her in her stomach and rolling her over. She choked and coughed and tried getting to her feet, only managing to get to her knees, and looked through bleary eyes at Nathan who was smirking.

"The great Abigail Shepard, will be felled like a great tree, alone and forgotten, in the wash of the new order."

Abigail coughed, "I'm never alone."

Nathan only grinned wider and moved to slash it at neck level, taking her head off, killing her. He did it in slow motion, enjoying the kill, savoring it.

Abigail counted, one breath, two breaths, three, then she dropped, rolling to her side and hitting the decking. A shockwave blasted above her and she rolled to see Cameron standing there, the shockwave catching Nathan in his chest and causing him to become suspended in midair.

Her Valkyrie came up and she fired a Concussive Shot, the blast hit him again causing him to slam into the ceiling of their corridor and then ricocheted to the bottom, he coughed and began sliding away, sliding off the drain and into a garbage chute.

Abby followed putting bursts in after him, but didn't hear anything aside from sparking metal.

"Damn it." She cursed. "Come on, maybe we can find him, or isolate his squad."

"Right Shepard," Garrus said moving off cradling his assault rifle.

After the two squad mates went she turned to Cameron, "Thank you."

"Any time," he smiled.

They redoubled their holds on their weapons and took after EDI and Garrus.

_Normandy_

"_Torpedo incoming! All hands brace for-"_

The combat operator's voice was lost as the deck came out from under her as Ashley went weightless for a few terrifying seconds. Her feet slammed to the deck causing her to almost collapse.

"Damage!" She hissed out but found herself too hurt to really say anything else.

"Direct Hit!" EDI started. "Kinetic barriers are down on starboard and we have a hull breach, the war room is gone."

The sizzling of static caused Ashley to look up as some of the wiring in the CIC and a single light exploded and sparked above her, Ashley gathered herself.

"I thought you said we'd lose them!" Ashley yelled into her com.

"_Yeah, I say a lot of things!"_ Joker replied sounding strained.

"Hey if we can't beat them then maybe we should join them." Traynor commented wiping her hand across a blood soaked chin.

"Interesting." Ashley mused, working on the problem in her mind.

The _Normandy_ rushed forward between two Geth frigates that slid in beside them, the two Geth ships and the _Normandy_ began to lace the stars with fire power, driving the enemy frigate off, trying to find a way to break through the blockade. The two Geth Frigates were joined by three more, an Alliance and two Quarian, and a Cruiser assumed over watch position.

"Normandy_, this is General Beck, we've got your back, let's turn the tide shall we?" _

The _Normandy_ and her task group formed into a flying wing, knocking any enemy ships out of the way with combined fire, using their combined power to take out the enemy with minimal damage to their ships. The spreads of weapons caused several frigates before them to explode, and one Cruiser, as they cut through the heart of the enemy lines, Omega's defenses clearing the way of anything that could pose a serious threat to them. The precision of the Geth along with the skill of EDI made those ships fight as one; the Quarians and Alliance were bringing up the rear, but still managed to hang on.

The enemy sent everything at them, Fighters, Frigates, Cruisers, but more ships joined in on their flank and moved to keep space clear for them, the _Normandy_ was rapidly becoming the focal point of the entire battle.

But that made them a target for the Dreadnaught as the ship was now making its way into the battle for the first time.

The _Normandy_ and her forces slowly managed to push back and headed directly towards the gaping maw.

_Omega_

Abigail Shepard rushed off towards the sound of repeating weapons fire, followed by the boom boom of a repeating sniper rifle.

Her Valkyrie out she sped around the corner and saw Garrus double his efforts with another blast from the Indra at a target which was going down range.

"Garrus!" she yelled at.

The Turian shifted slightly in his cover to turn to her to report in, but a boom happened, his neck exploded with Turian blood and he toppled down and layed out.

_Garrus!_

Abigail went over and fired a blind spread with her Valkyrie, hoping the sniper would take a moment or two to find cover. She then fired a grenade off towards the target just hoping to drive her away.

She took Garrus and began dragging him away to what she hoped was even better cover.

"Come on Garrus!" She grunted trying to remove his combat armor and get underneath to check for a pulse, _come on, not now, I'm sorry! OK, I know I have…but come on I can't lose Garrus!_

She applied medi-gel, and gave his chest a sharp pound; the Turian's eyes opened and he started to splutter.

She fell back and held her hand to her head.

"Don't, do that, again." She grunted.

"Believe me," he gasped, "I don't intend to."

She smiled but ripped her head around as sparks exploded off the box next to her. Amanda was closing on them rapidly, Talon out, a vicious smirk on her face.

Shepard rolled to another box stack and ripped the Valkyrie off its port. She fired two bursts, Amanda rolled out of the way, Abby tried to track the target and fired, but a hissing beep, _out of ammo_.

Her Eagle came up and she fired the jerky weapon at the target, inaccurately spewing bullets until the clip ran out of ammo.

"Come on Abby, you are finished! You are a relic of your past and you have to make for the new!"

Shepard tried to launch into a retort but was cut off by another boom from the shotgun.

"This is the end of your life Shepard! You will die! Alone! Forgotten! Only remembered as the one who tried stopping the advancement of human progress for generations!"

She fired of another burst from her Eagle drawing Amanda off for half a moment giving Abby room to retort, "A new order for whom? All of humanity or a few chosen elites!"

"For anyone who can take it!" Amanda retorted sending a new blast at Shepard. "We are all alone, there is no God, no love, no friendship, and all we have is what we can take on our whims!"

"I wonder how Nathan would feel about that!"

"Nathan?" She began cackling, "the biggest dupe in the Galaxy, just take people for what you can get, not like you, love gets you attached, and it's all for nothing in the end! Only take, whether or not it's someone's body!"

"I can see why you gave in so easily!" Abigail snapped finally running out of ammo on the Eagle; she spied a Talon laying by a soldier just a few paces away.

"I did not give in, I was set free!" Amanda howled.

Shepard silenced the conversation thinking, her mind racing. She squeezed the trigger on the Eagle again and got another trill beeping, in the silence it sounded like a gun shot. She looked up to see Amanda dart off to the side out of eye shot.

Abigail rolled and picked up the Talon pistol and checked its charge _two bullets left, it'll have to do_. She got into a crouch and started to maneuver herself into a slightly better position for what she had in mind.

"You know why I have been successful?" She said suddenly.

Amanda came around at her and held her Shot gun. "Why is that?"

"Because I have friends."

Right on cue the _ziiip_ of the charging Cameron Vanguard slammed into her side knocking her into the stack of boxes. Abby rushed forward slamming Amanda's arm to her side, ripping the Talon through her defenses, and squeezing the trigger, once for the shields, twice for the armor, Amanda's eyes widened under the assault and the sudden turn of events.

"But-but how could you?" Amanda spluttered as she fell back, her life spilling out through the holes in her stomach and her chest.

Abigail crouched above the woman for a split second and closed the woman's eyes as her convulsions finished, _no matter who she is, I guess she deserves our respect_.

She held her hand over her heart for a moment and bowed her head, before moving on, looking over at the fallen Turian. Cameron was already over him waving a medi-gel application over him and healing the Turian's neck slowly and surely.

"Hey Shepard." He grunted at her as she came up.

"I think he's going to be fine," Cameron reported glancing up at her, "The medi-gel seems to be holding and is actually healing the wounds."

"On the bright side," Vakarian trilled, "I'll have a nice beautiful neck scar to go with the one on my face."

Abigail arched her red eyebrow and leaned conspiratorially to Cameron, "Are you sure you aren't over doing that, that stuff can make people drunk you know."

"I'm finnnneeee." Garrus assured, and promptly started snoring.

Cameron looked perplexed at his patient and knitted his brow, "Well, it has been awhile since I've done this…" he admitted bashfully.

"Right." Abigail patted him on the back, and then looked behind her, James, EDI, and Miranda had gathered around her, waiting.

"Alright, James, Miranda, you're with me, let's see if we can't hunt for Nathan Burke and secure the station, EDI stay here and cover Cameron."

"Right away Shepard." EDI replied.

"Right with you Lola." James agreed.

The three squad mates moved out, Abigail picking up Amanda's thermal clips and refilling her Valkyrie.

…

Nathan rolled over and grabbed the side of his ribs. He could have sworn that Cameron's shockwave had broken them, but the medi-gel was busy doing its things. But with Amanda dead, _something I'm sure I'll feel later_, and with Rael off having a fit somewhere, it left him alone, with only enough time to regroup.

He glanced one more time at Amanda and Abigail marching towards him, before slinking off and merging back with the shadows.

…

Cynthia crawled over to the fallen form of Paul Leighy, blood was streaming out everywhere, leaking on the floor in pools. She made it over to him and started to whimper, trying to roll him over.

"Paul." She breathed.

He gasped and his eyes opened, a gurgling noise exploded from his lips.

"Help!" She said trying to apply the little medi-gel she had. "Some please, help!"

But no one, for the moment, was coming.

"Just hold on Paul!" She pleaded, staying with him until someone heard them, activating the emergency transponder on her Omni-tool.

_Normandy_

The _Market Garden_ had broken off for Omega given the _Normandy_ and its task force time to make a run for the Dreadnaught. The flag ship of the enemy fleet sat in space, rushing the station, but its Cruisers had been picked off by Omega's defenses leaving the flank wide open.

The _Normandy_, the Alliance Frigate, and the two Geth ships sped forward. Four blasts of Thanix Canons fired on the flank of the ship, the _Normandy's_ stream cut into its aft section by its engineering sheering armor and hull plating off causing a rupture.

Each ship fired a pair of Disruptor Torpedoes which hovered in space allowing the four ships to break off, before they rushed the Alliance Dreadnaught and plowed through the hull exploding in the ships interior mesh ripping the Dreadnaught apart.

The rest of the fleet broke, with the Allied Fleet nipping at their heals, all the way till they jumped back through the Mass Relay.

**AN: **Ok this might sound a little petty, but I think I have good cause and a good question to ask. During recent readings of the blueninja's Mass Effect Reloaded she thanked her fans, and pointed out that her story was becoming well followed among the ME fandom…so ok why? I highly recommend the story and its one of the best and well written stories I have read on here. If you have enjoyed my fic and Picking up the Shards of a Broken Galaxy, you will enjoy that one.

But simply put, always looking for criticism since I hope to do this successfully as an original author one day, what am I doing wrong? (or right) Why did Shards get so many more reviews and Galaxy Fall gets so few? What attracts certain readers to certain stories so they review them, but leaves other fics in the dust? It is a puzzle especially since Shards was so well received.

Just a thought, something I wanted to bring by my loyal readership (thanks for reading) and anyone just passing by.


	32. Chapter 32

_Omega-Afterlife_

Abigail Shepard stood in the bullet strewn former bar that Aria had turned into her personal command center and headquarters years ago….was now a good place for Shepard to turn into _her_ personal headquarters. After all it was centrally located and with the War Room on the _Normandy_ needing desperate repairs from its torpedo strike, here they were.

Cameron, a Batarian which seemed to be Kurl's self-proclaimed successor, and General Beck, were all standing around the central table which was holographic and showing the station along with several pictures from around the battle.

Meanwhile Abigail was nursing her injuries from the battle, a large bandage was plastered on her head above her eyebrow hiding and healing the gash which was there, her bottom lip was also cut from a piece of shrapnel, but all and all just a normal day in the life.

She eyed Beck curiously, "So General, what are you doing here?"

Beck bit his lip before answering allowing Shepard to study the man. He was an older man probably in his early fifties, white, short gray hair and ears which were larger for his face. Pale blue eyes were narrowed at her.

"I don't know," he finally answered, "I was just thinking, suddenly, that all this was _wrong_. Against the oath I took as an officer and as a man, against the very precepts of the Alliance Constitution. I watched myself, throughout the past several months doing things that were against my will, as if I were just working on it during on auto pilot, a zombie in my own form."

Beck looked at her uncertainly, but Abby shrugged and nodded, "fair enough and it sounds familiar from what we have learned about the Leviathans and the Reapers. But right now we need to take stock of our situation, determine who is still left, and then we can decide on what our next move should be."

Beck and the company continued to glance at one another uncertainly shifting in their places, Abigail sighed. _With the damage Omega has taken I really can't blame them, but, we need answers_.

"Well Shepard," A voice spoke as Afterlife's front door open, "I see you haven't lost your goddamn decorating touch."

She spun around and saw the scarred form of Zaeed stalking towards her and their table. "Zaeed." She smiled.

"Zaeed." Cameron said completing his own whirl around and ripping his pistol out of its holster aiming it at the mercenary.

Abigail glanced to the side and her arm shot out instinctually pinning Cameron's gun hand and forcing it up towards the ceiling. "Whoa, what are you doing? He's my friend."

"And he's my enemy, in the other time line he worked for Cerberus, attempted to capture us and bring the _Normandy _back to TIM."

"Shepard, who is this goddamn fruit loop?" Zaeed hissed.

_Long story_, "He is, me, from a parallel universe, at least that is what we can figure."

Zaeed frowned, "since when did our quiet lives become a goddamn episode of _Doctor Who_."

"Doctor What?" Abby turned to him, but feeling Cameron tense up beside him caused her to redouble her efforts. She glared at Cameron.

The male version of her glared back, and sighed, shrugging his shoulders, "alright we're done." He said.

Shepard let him go.

She turned to Zaeed after a second and stared the wizened old merc down, _he looks older somehow_, she decided with a pause. "Zaeed, what brings you here?"

"Heard you were throwing a party for those bastards on Earth so I wanted to join up. But I couldn't break through the blockade and get here in time with enough forces. But the Blue Suns are yours, for whatever else may come."

Shepard blinked, _well despite my affection for Zaeed he certainly has not been the most generous spirit._

"Wow." Cameron concurred with her thoughts.

"We were just discussing Earth," Beck cut in and looked over her shoulder at Zaeed, "you are welcome to join us."

Zaeed did so sliding into a spot on Abigail's right where she was when this started, she rolled her eyes and moved in next to him and looked at Beck.

"What have we got?" Abby sighed coming back to the table with Cameron glancing over at Zaeed every other second.

"Not much, the Fourth Frontier division stayed under my personal command and its Regimental and Company officers all followed my lead. As did the individual soldiers, at least for now. As for the Fifth, well the General in charge there is either a true believer or his indoctrination was deeper than mine. Either way his forces were fully committed to the invasion of Omega and even tried to retake a few of my ships. So the fifth has been virtually wiped out."

"Wonderful." Shepard muttered to herself.

"As for the rest the three thirty second mechanized warfare regiment was also wiped out in the siege of Omega. Not that we could have overridden their programming and used them anyways. They were, very secure. We have around forty ships left that defected with me, that's at least relatively intact, as soon as our forces get out of Omega's salvage yards we can probably provide up to fifty eight ships for any potential space battle."

"That still probably won't be enough to evict Soren, especially if we have to fight an entire planet of forces indoctrinated." Cameron cut in.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Beck bit his lip, "Soren has wanted the population that wasn't in the military and he could not control docile. While I do not know the entire story that probably means severe Leviathan control and other means. This gives us the advantage of _quality_ of forces. Let alone the fact Soren has been leading a campaign to disarm any private civilian throughout the Alliance and has even concentrated on curtailing local civilian police."

"So instead of having to fight a population of a couple of billion we just have to worry about a couple million?" Abigail gestured with her right hand uncrossing them. "Oh yes, that is _much_ easier."

"Just stating the facts." Beck retorted evenly.

"I can provide about another twenty ships and five thousand assault personell." Zaeed cut in.

"And the geth and…" Cameron's voice trailed off as EDI was standing in the central alcove cutting in on their bull session.

"EDI?" Abby Shepard asked arching an eyebrow.

"Excuse me for interrupting but I believe I have information that requires your immediate attention." EDI explained.

"Yes?" She said crossly.

Ashley came on the screen shooing EDI away, "We've detected a pocket of oxygen near the CIC of the SSV _Indomitable_"

"What?" Abigail spat recognizing the name as the Dreadnaught that led the Alliance forces to take Omega. "I thought we vented that thing to space."

"We did," EDI came up as a separate hologram, "but it would appear our Torpedo strike was not as effective as we first predicted."

"Well considering the size of that sucker I am surprised we were ultimately able to do any damage to the vessel at all." Ashley pointed out. "It should not have just exploded like that; maybe this will give us a chance to figure out why."

"Exploded?" Abigail asked.

"Well not exactly exploded, just when we hit it vented."

"The Super Structure is mostly intact but the internal systems have been decimated." EDI Supplemented.

"But yet there is an air pocket in the middle of the thing." Cameron finished.

"So it would appear."

"Life signs?" Abby asked.

"None that we can detect, however, our scanning technology is limited in that regard to the interference and armor in the way for the Dreadnaught proper."

"But someone _could_ be there." Cameron offered glancing at Abigail with a slightly worried look in his eyes.

"Even if there aren't this is still a valuable intelligence find, we should go either way. Thank you EDI, Ashley." She nodded.

"I would like to come along." Ashley blurted out.

Abigail smiled wryly, "Fine Commander, if you want to get out of the house that is your prerogative, Cameron, you, and I will split up throughout the ship. It is big after all."

Ashley frowned, "you sure we have the manpower for that? I mean Cynthia has not moved from Paul's beside since we got him back to the _Normandy_, and I would consider her more of a liability at this point, she's been through hell."

Abigail shrugged, "Zaeed has rejoined us and I am sure he would love the opportunity to connect back with us."

"Zaeed?" Ashley asked.

"Hello," He graveled out.

Ashley shrugged, "fair enough, orders?"

"We'll each take a shuttle, assemble our teams, and be on the _Indomitable,_ in five minutes. Shepard out."

_SSV Indomitable, Airlock_

On the way to the _Indomitable, _the teams had changed. With Garrus, Paul, and Cynthia on the disabled list that left a significant hole in their lineup. So as the door closed behind Shepard's squad, Ashley and Miranda had fallen into her wake.

_Damn, I wish I had this squad during the war_. The two independent and capable women would have made the perfect complement to any squad situation during the war. Sadly Miranda had to go look for her sister, _not that I'm complaining, but we did have resources on the _Normandy. And sadly they were likely to never serve with each other in combat, unlike James and Garrus, but, they were here now.

Cameron's team was somewhere else on the ship.

"Lights." Abigail finally commented her reverie and nostalgia finishing its course through her veins. _We still have a job to do_.

The lights on their helmet grid came on shooting beams of light down into the pitch darkness. They didn't have their weapons out, they _knew_ what had killed this dreadnaught and EDI did not detect any signs of mech activity. So they were safe from even that small concern.

"This is Shepard 2 we've boarded." Cameron greeted over the com nets.

"Shepard 2?" Her mirth came out in a trill over her head speaker.

"I figure it's a good way to distinguish the two teams." Abigail could positively here the _shrug_ radiating out from the com signal.

"Very good," Abby chuckled, then frowned, "Alright, look for any active communications panel and have EDI network to gain any information about this ship or anything else the Alliance is going into. Liara is on the other end waiting."

"Yes ma'am." Cameron replied by way of signing off.

Abigail set her jaw and shoulders and began moving on.

The ship was dark, their light being the only light source as power was drained from the entire area of the ship. The going was tough as they tripped over a vacuum exposed corpse every now and then, picking their way over the debris, with mag boots.

Abigail looked around her light craning around every minute, "Well, see anything we can use?"

"No," Ashley grumbled, "this place is colder than a tomb."

"Keep your eye out," Abigail emphasized.

Even with their crawl of a walk from the mag boots Abigail could tell this ship was _huge_, larger than your standard Dreadnaught with corridors resembling main boulevards stretching out into the infinite, running along the length of the ship. Only rooms running off to the side as they moved through the ships guts.

They passed a breach in the hull, just a small crack, as they walked past; Shepard winced as she had an intense feeling of vertigo. _Stars are nice_, she decided, _but they are nice only from a distance_.

Climbing up a service path they entered the next deck until they were on the command center slowly picking their way across the decking towards the _Indomitable_ CIC. Abigail checked her Omni-tool's oxygen levels, fine, and the time they had been in here, over an hour.

A little further down the corridor, they went around a slight bend, and saw a blinking strobe light. Abigail blinked at it wondering if it was a mirage or a trick.

Miranda came up behind her, "Well, that's different."

"Must have an emergency power source." Ashley wondered.

"You an engineer now?" Abigail teased the definitely 'jar head' Marine.

"I am a woman of many talents skipper," Ashley replied slightly abashed.

"Oh well," Abigail shrugged, "nothing for it."

They approached the green light and then saw the console, it was active, Abby started to draw up its inventory. "Auxiliary engineering console, just what we need." She activated her Omni-tool and opened a channel to the other squad "EDI, I'm linking you into the _Indomitable's _engineering department, start scanning and compiling the files." She entered those commands into the tool and waited.

"Huh," EDI said after a second.

"Huh?" Shepard smirked.

"Yes, I am learning human mannerisms." EDI replied to the unstated question.

"And what else are you learning?" Abby pressed.

"The _Indomitable_ was incomplete, and lacking dry-dock testing or shake down, they didn't build in supports across most of the lower decks. It would explain why the torpedoes were so effective."

"Good work, certainly explains a lot." Shepard mused cocking her head to the side.

"Alright," Ashley cut in, "interesting, but the CIC is still one hundred fifty meters away, and we are running out of time."

"Ashley is right, let's move people." Abigail ordered.

It took them ten minutes to reach the CIC and push the doors open, the squad looked around the room scanning it with their eyes and their helmet flash lights.

"Clear." Miranda commented.

"Agreed," Abby droned out.

She was moving to the center of the command console where the Admiral, what she assumed was the Admiral, who threatened them over the com link. She leaned down to peer at him getting another flash light out of her equipment harness. The man had dried blood all over his forehead and dribbled down his cheek.

"He's dead." She commented checking his vitals, and turning around to face the crew. "Not a good way to go."

"I would think he deserved it," Miranda muttered, but the audio picked up loud and clear.

"He could've been indoctrinated, besides few people truly deserve death," Abigail said, "we fight long enough to stop them, not kill them."

Miranda nodded solemnly.

Abby frowned and turned around to face the corpse, "unless we have no other choice," She whispered.

"Shepard!" Ashley's cry caused her head to snap around, "over here!"

Abigail rushed over to the Commander and looked down, at the figure sprawled along the deck, her arms pinned to the sides of the bulkheads, with a breath mask on. But the cut of the hair made her unmistakable.

"Admiral Jameson?" Ashley asked.

Abby nodded while activating her Omni-tool, scanning her, "she's alive," she activated a com channel "Shepard to _Normandy_ we need a medical team to meet us here stat, and another suit, we have casualties, also we might need another set of oxygen canisters."

"We're on our way Shepard," Joker commented in her ear.

"So now we wait?" Ashley asked.

"Now we wait." Abigail agreed.


	33. Chapter 33

_Normandy-Medbay_

"I'm what?!" Abigail Shepard said with a mixture of awe and wonder, but she couldn't help the spike of fear that was exploding in her chest.

"Pregnant, there is little doubt….so I assume I should congratulate James then?"Chakwas said wryly.

Abby rolled her eyes, "as usual that is up to your fine medical judgment."

Chakwas smirked.

Shepard sighed crossing her arms over her chest, her thoughts racing. This was after all, the first physical she had since she had threatened the CMO several weeks ago. _Before coming to my senses_ her mind added needlessly. And _now_ the news slammed into her that she was pregnant. That she had a new life growing inside her, a new _human_ life.

_Must've happened the last time James and I came together, that bout of forgiveness….after Cameron had knocked some sense into me_.

Her shoulders slumped, she could not feel more alone and _selfish_ at her acts. Her need for love and reaffirmation after her insanity had now put another living being in danger.

"What do I do Karin?" She asked the Doctor's first name, not as a Commanding Officer, not as a member of any military organization, but as a friend. "Damn it," her eyes crossed, "how can I put myself in danger knowing, now, that by doing so I could be risking someone else's life in the process?"

"Well, I am trained, we could always…"

"No," Abby shook her head emphatically, "out of the question."

Chakwas sighed and leaned back into her chair, "Good, not something I wanted to do. I don't envy you your choice. I am too old to consider giving birth and I never found the time to do it in my career." She bit her lip, "but I suppose if I did I wouldn't find it any easier. Even though I am a doctor I am an _Alliance_ Doctor. Serving on front line war ships as often as I can, putting myself in almost as much danger as you do out in the field. Just I have a cage of metal and steel, of kinetic barriers and stealth systems, to protect me."

"I think you let that get away from you." Abby teased.

The doctor grinned, "I suppose I did. The point is that I am not qualified to make that kind of a judgment. Only you are."

Abigail arched an eyebrow just into her growing red hair _I am going to have to get that cut_, "but I value your advice."

Chakwas sighed, got up promptly, and moved to hold Abby in an arm's length embrace at the shoulders, peering into her eyes, gray into blue. "True. And my advice is this: Despite what I said in the beginning, despite the doubts I had about your physical condition, still have, my experience and life has proven to me that we need someone like you. You are the only one who can unite the races to save Earth and liberate it, you've done so before."

"Yeah," Abigail smirked, "but half of those races were races that sort of liked me…or at least races that I haven't dropped any planets on. Now this time?" Abigail shrugged, "The batarians, the Krogan, and others."

Chakwas sighed, "You freed the Krogan from the genophage and gave the Geth sentience…they like you."

"But what about the Batarians?" Abigail pointed out.

"I think that's the point, you don't care. You fraught the Batarians at Torfan, Terra Nova, and Aratoht, yet despite all of that you were willing to work with them. And made them work with you. With all that bad blood and history most people would've ended up dead or ended in a firefight between the people you were trying to save, but you? You allowed them to work with you. I couldn't do that, Garrus couldn't do that, hell I doubt your doppelganger could."

"He probably did." Abigail pointed out wryly.

"But not _here_." Karin emphasized.

Abigail nodded bleakly, "So you are saying that I need to fight the good fight because no one else can."

The doctor nodded, "I know. But we will just have to hope and pray that both of you will make it out of this unscathed."

Abigail choked halfway between derision and amusement, "My luck hasn't ever been the best." She pointed out.

"True. But honestly Shepard you will be making decisions for this kid, some of them life and death, for many years to come. Might as well get used to the fact."

Abigail's eyes wandered the med bay, ran right over to where Cynthia was lying across Paul's chest. She jutted her chin out pointing before whispering, "How is he?"

Chakwas sighed moving to join her, "he'll live, that was at least the result of the surgery. But…I doubt he'll walk again. The sword severed right through his tissue connecting his legs to his central nervous system."

"Isn't there anything you can do for him?" Abigail asked trying to keep her voice level.

"I've tried regenerating his tissue but…whatever his sword is made of has proven resistant even to that. Some sick freak must've invented it." Karin added with disgust.

Abigail's eyebrows shot up at her tone.

Her eyes, however, wandered over to the other bed, "And Jameson?"

Karin shrugged, "As you know with the Leviathan's hard to say. We can't duplicate the process we used with you and Miranda because it wouldn't be necessary given the differences in the two processes. In some ways they are fundamentally different, in others, not so much. Either way the only way we will be sure she is free from their control is when we wake her up. And even then we won't know if she won't fall under their sway when exposed to them, or are just faking it."

"We'll see but I can probably tell," She stated dramatically.

"Oh?" Chakwas asked.

Abby nodded, "I know her."

"_Knew_ her," Chakwas added.

"Right," Abigail muttered, "but still it is worth the risk, we need to get her back, see if she is in there at all. Maybe we can learn something, the fleet, the disposition, she could have valuable intelligence we may need for our attack."

"Or not," Karin pointed out, expressing her knowledge of the Leviathan's.

"Or not, but in which case we could learn she doesn't have any information."

Karin Chakwas nodded grimly.

"So wake her up."

Her eyes widened, "now?"

Abigail shrugged, "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can move on with our lives and kick Soren off of his pearly throne."

The _Normandy_ CMO moved to pick up a syringe from her medical container and then placed it in the Admiral's shoulder, whose eyes almost instantly fluttered open, then opened with a start as she began glancing around the medical bay.

"Where am I?" She asked the ceilings, her eyes fluttering over to Shepard. "Shepard? My God what have I done?"

Shepard crossed her arms over her chest, "What is the last thing you remember?"

"Not sure," The Admiral murmured, tears welling up in her eyes, "just flashes mostly. Oh God what have I done?" She wailed.

Shepard felt her heart twist in a knot watching the woman realize that something was wrong. She was trying to puzzle it out, maybe having some clue what she had done, but the last thing she probably remembered was sitting in an office somewhere and just, _nothing_.

"Courtney," Abby said her voice soft, "What do you remember?"

Admiral Jameson shuttered and closed her eyes slowly, "I don't know. I was called in for a meeting with Soren…then suddenly we were talking about how to use the Special Forces as an emergency response team to head off civil unrest…but something in his voice…made it sound so real, and not hypothetical. But as he continued I found myself agreeing with him, and cold darkness…after that? I don't know. Just flashes."

Abigail sighed, "I'll be back in, or EDI, Miranda, and Liara might stop in…if you remember anything."

She nodded, "I'll try."

Shepard began to turn away; she had ten meetings and a bunch of things to consider.

"And Shepard," Abby turned around at the further appellation, "bring this bastard down."

Abby grinned thinly, "that, I am sure I can manage." The door closed behind her, "One way or another."

_War Room_

"What did I miss?" Abigail said running down into the pit. "Anything interesting to report?"

"Salvage yards on Omega, been building and designing the anti- Leviathan technology we'll deploy on Earth." Palin explained.

Abigail nodded to him and Traynor began to manipulate the controls. A small metal sphere with spikes sticking out of his revolved around the table, this happened ever quicker as a small dish appeared on the top of the platform and then a series of circles appeared on top of it.

"Dramatic much?" Abby turned to Palin.

"Thought primitive visual aids could be effective in explaining function." Palin sniffed.

Abigail smirked.

"What do they do?"

Palin sniffed, his eyes widened, "they transmit a white noise signal on the same energy patterns as the Leviathan's. Blocks it out, jams it, and prevents them from manipulating anyone within a certain radius."

"And that radius is?" Beck asked.

"Six hundred kilometers." Palin reported via memory.

"I hope you know that Earth is big," Beck said sarcastically, "this just can't be solved with one or two of these things."

"Why Omega resources are being devoted singularly into this project," Palin smirked.

"Sounds like we need time," Abigail murmured ending any other potential debate.

"Time we still have." Cameron added, "Well time and forces."

"Right, time we have, forces we need." Abigail agreed.

"Captain?" Garrus asked.

"We've received a message, it was from the Krogan, and they've requested a meeting." Traynor piped in.

"And we need their forces if we are to have any chance in hell of pulling this off."

"Why?" Beck asked, "If this device works as advertised then all we have to do is deploy it then watch the whole planet heal itself."

"It's not that simple," Shepard cut in.

"We don't know which parts in the Alliance or any of the other Governments are active collaborators." Garrus muttered. "Even if most of the planet and the Government is being controlled we do not know if there aren't others who aren't, or if they will still follow orders regardless."

"And," Abby shot Garrus a smile, "This is only a temporary solution, eventually the Leviathans _will_ figure out how to reassert control, we need to secure the planet, and that means we need forces."

Beck snorted, "Right, sounds like we need a freaking army."

Shepard smirked, "Well the Krogan certainly qualify. Either way before we can decide anything else, we need to figure out what forces we have."

"And getting more races and governments on board could convince the Geth and Qurians to send additional forces." Miranda pointed out.

"So we need a war summit," Cameron stated.

"Fun," Abigail agreed, "coordinate between the Krogan, we'll send just enough forces to break any blockade, and meet with any Krogan leadership, Batarians, then we make the plans for Earth."

"So Shepard, same old same old, playing nursemaid to the politicians again?" Ashley grinned.

"Hey," She shrugged, "someone's got to do it."

Several of her crew snickered around her, she shared the moment and the joke, fortunately it was not like she had to do a war summit in a long time, or that often, but again she was the one who would probably have to pull it all together. _At least Tuchanka should be kinda friendly_.

"Alright, we have our orders, set the meeting up, and we'll get there." She turned to Traynor.

"Yes ma'am."

"Dismissed."

The crew filled out.

…

"You wanted to see me?" She asked General Beck as she walked into the command pit.

"Yeah," The general straightened by his spot, turning to her, "I assume you will want me to coordinate the ground teams."

"I would think that would be obvious in the circumstance, or at least until I can find a big, brutish, Krogan warlord, who can just scare anyone who crosses his path." She added with a growing smirk.

"I suggest you find someone else." He said his back stiffening further.

"Is there a reason why or am I just going to have to beat it out of you?" She replied frowning.

The General sighed and turned to face the war room hologram, "this is…not something I trained for, exactly."

"I don't think this is something any of us have trained for exactly," Her voice grew gentle as she stepped next to him, _something is wrong_.

"No, any of this, I was only given this position three months ago."

"OK…"Abby edged him on wanting him to fill in the point on his own.

"And five years before that I was in the reserves, on Earth, my regular job was as a disk jockey, I joined up and became a clerk, a Major for the 4th Division, a clerk. But then the war happened."

"Then the war happened," Abigail agreed, her heart crashing a little, she finally beginning to understand his point and where he was coming from.

He sighed, "Yeah, I went from making jokes and poking fun at celebrities to fighting for my life daily. I mean I wanted to join up, I wanted to do my patriotic duty, and serve the Alliance, but to go from that to this?" He winced. "And all because of the war. With the war people retired or were killed in droves, entire sections of the brass, just wiped out, anyone with any combat experience, veterans of the First Contact War, or front line officers during the Skyllian Blitz, most of them retired or dead. So they needed officers with 'front line' combat experience desperately. And I got tapped; I went from a Major to a General, to a Division Commander in a couple of years."

"And you don't think you can handle it?" Abigail murmured touching his arm.

"Yeah, it's something to take on politicians or societal problems with barbed words, quite another when your targets can shoot back with beams of molten metal." Beck explained wryly.

She sighed, "Look I don't have all the answers to these problems but I've been there."

"You have?" Beck said incredulously.

She nodded, "Just out of the N7s, they gave me my own squad. My personal team to serve at my every discretion. About eight men and women who relied on me to get the job done. Then Torfan happened, and then I was given even more responsibility because of my rank and my 'expertise'."

Beck nodded and waved with his hand.

"And then they died, well most of them. A step back. I had completed my mission and was publically honored for it, but in secret they set me back, put me on a secret assignment under personal tutelage."

"OK, but then what?" Beck asked curious.

She smiled at the _implied_ question. "Then three years later I was assigned to the _Normandy_ SR-1, as first officer. But as you know I quickly became its Captain. My first command, after I had commanded just one squad on one mission, was commanding an advanced Alliance Warship, responsible for all the lives aboard her. Three Years, less than your five."

He frowned, "Alright, but how does this help my problem?"

"I thought I was ready for command, in some ways I was eager, sure I thought long and hard about joining the N7s, but command, after I had proven myself, was easy, just keep your distance and lead. But I failed, or nearly so, it was nearly a disaster. Then my first command after that I took on even more responsibility. Because of what happened at Torfan I was nervous, unsure, waiting for the other shoe to drop, not sure I can do it."

"But?"

"But I'm here, I survived. When you command it's like any other job, you do your best, put your best foot forward, you succeed, or you fail. But if you live you just pick yourself up, learn, and try again." Abigail said.

"Failure is not an option here," Beck smirked wryly.

"Think that and we've already lost," Abigail snapped, "the only ultimate failure is your death or someone taking away your ability to fight. If you can still fight, then you can always wake up another day and try and kill the bad guys, to defeat them. And only you can do this, the fact you are concerned is proof of your dedication, of your fitness to lead."

"Alright," Beck nodded, "thanks for the pep talk."

…

"_Yoda had it wrong. I know not the thing you would expect from serious geo political commentary. But there is such a thing as try, there is such a thing as to strive and do. For if you did not put any effort into it, if you did not wake up and get over yourself and your past, and then you would not get anything done. _

_Succeed or fail that is not really the point, the point is that each day you go, then there is always something to do, and each day you can pick yourself up and continue is one more day you can succeed. _

_Because if we don't do this then we leave our fate up to different people, beyond us, above us, and they will exploit our lack of effort." _


	34. Chapter 34

_Normandy Medbay_

Abigail Shepard sat in the medical bay by Paul's bed; she was there to chat with the Infiltrator, passing the time before they hit Tuchanka.

"You look better," She said down at him as he sat bolt upright in his bed. "How are you feeling?"

He ran an appraising hand down his legs and looked at them, "I don't know honestly. My legs feel….well like there's a void…numb."

She sighed.

He shrugged, "Nothing can be done about it, I suppose I'm lucky, or at least lucky enough. Could have easily been my life. And during my life I have fought Reapers and Cerberus and their Disciples. So all and all suppose it's lucky that I am even alive at all."

She shrugged, "Sure, I guess. But still it's hard to find anything 'luck' based about this."

"I guess I'm just happy even have this conversation." He smirked.

Abigail nodded and looked around, "Where's Cynthia?

He shrugged, "I told her to get some sleep, some proper sleep, she wasn't doing anyone any good just lying here next to me. You're probably going to need her before all this is over."

She sighed, "Don't know if I want someone who is emotionally crippled to go on a critical mission."

Paul glanced at her sideways and arched an eyebrow. "She's strong, and has proven herself time and again. Sure she might've started out rocky, but everything worked out in the end."

Shepard smirked wryly to herself, "she shot me."

He grinned, "Hell after some of the things you've done I sometimes wonder if I should shoot you."

She snorted, "Ouch."

Paul chuckled, and then gave her another look, "So Tuchanka?"

"Yes?" The human Captain inquired gently.

"I don't know, just seems…you ever get tired of going there?"

"Well it has been on the mission roster for every major campaign except hunting Saren down…but no, it's to be expected. It's the home of a major, though occasionally violent, race. A race which was wronged by the Galaxy, a race that the Galaxy has a lot invested in it, and right now its centrally located and the only free government left in Council Space, by all reports. So no, besides, I rather like the environment."

Paul glared at her, "I am a pale English boy, so I really do not see the charm."

"And I spent my youth on the streets of Southern California. Other than the few times my Rabbi took me to Arizona, New Mexico, and other places. I prefer the heat…as long as it's dry."

The sniper shrugged, "That's good enough I guess."

"It is,"

"_Captain Shepard,"_ Joker spoke over the intercom, _"we've transited through the Tuchanka Mass Relay_"

She glanced skyward, "Thanks Joker, I'll be right there."

"Duty calls." Paul commented.

"Always."

When Abigail emerged into the CIC a few minutes later James and Ashley were already waiting for her. The view outside the windows abruptly transitted from the mass free blue swirl of the _Normandy's _ftl to the relative calm of hyperspace. In the distance Shepard could make out the yellow orb that represented Tuchanka, home of the Krogan, one of the Geth Cruisers slowly moved just to the side of the _Normandy_, partially shielding it from any fire from any ships blockading the planet, but also giving the _Normandy_ the appearance of the lead.

Shepard took this in with James and Ashley slowly watching how the universe was unfolding.

"Status?" She asked.

"The fleet has emerged in our wake and is making best speed for Tuchanka. Meanwhile Tuchanka only seems to have one Alliance Ship in orbit."

"Just one?" Shepard echoed doubtfully. "Where's the rest of the fleet?"

"I imagine floating in Omega's orbit." James replied with a predator's gaze.

"Now there's a thought." Abigail smirked stretching her arms above her.

"Shepard," EDI stated her tone growing serious; "they are powering weapons and targeting us."

"What?" Ashley blinked behind her. "They can't be serious."

"They are," Abby murmured her eyes narrowing, "order the fleet to do the same and try not to destroy them, but I know that's hard."

…

The Alliance Cruiser hinged on its maneuvering thrusters rotating to bring its broadside batteries around on the advancing fleet. They boldly targeted them despite being outnumbered and out classed by several orders of magnitude. Their assailants did not react, did not fire, they did not need to. Not yet.

The Cruiser fired, belched off a salvo, missiles rippled off its sides and the rounds of artillery arched into the void.

Only to be intercepted and explode against the onrushing metal, shields and Kinetic Barriers.

The Geth Cruisers responded by positioning their wasp noses at the enemies and firing, blasts of high intensity energy reached out and scoured the hull, hitting weapons, and engines. Two Alliance Frigates moved in firing lasers and their Mass Accelerator Guns, they fired, more explosions, breaching the hull.

…

Abigail smirked lightly to herself as she watched the Alliance Ship now drifting helplessly in space. Debris coating the stars and hanging loosely around the ship. "Nicely done." She smiled.

She opened her mouth to give out a new series of orders, but was interrupted by an explosion ripping through the Cruiser and blotting it out; the entire ship was destroyed before they could stop.

She frowned.

"The explosion was internal; none of our weapons did enough damage to cause that kind of explosion." EDI reporteed

"I know," Abby sighed, "Traynor, open a channel."

"_Understood Captain_."

"Attention Krogan, we are here in peace, we mean you no harm, and request a leadership conference with the clans. I'm Captain Shepard, curer of the genophage, defender of Krogan civilization, I request a meeting."

Her pronouncement was met by the expected moment of silence. But the moment stretched on and Abby traded a look with her former XO.

"_Captain Shepard,"_ A male Krogan voice stated, _"we appreciate your presence here, you and your ships have been given authorization to land at your convenience_."

The Special Forces Captain and N7 breathed a sigh of relief, and crossed her arms over her chest _well; at least we know they are still there, time to get out the dress blues_.

_Tuchanka-Near the Hollows_

Eve looked up at the roar of engines and the rush of air as shadows began passing above her. A pair of Alliance Kodiaks led what looked like a procession of the motliest assortment of ships Eve had ever seen. Batarian, Geth, Quarian, and a few shuttles she wasn't sure the origin on.

The shuttles rotated into a glide and slowly landed, each in a row, their side compartments opening, and their crews getting out.

_This could still be a trap_, Eve knew, they could be luring her out with messages and promises of Shepard's return after so much death and doubt. But it seemed to her that the risk was worth it, especially upon seeing the familiar red headed human, scrambling out of the lead Kodiak, being joined by some of her squad, some she recognized some she didn't.

…

Abigail looked up, her blue eyes locking in on the familiar sight of Urdnot Eve, standing in the middle of an assembled knot of about twenty Krogan, she also spied Grunt lurking in the background.

The squad filled in behind her, James, Garrus, Miranda, and Cameron Shepard all followed in her wake.

She smiled moving into the gathering, General Beck also joining her in her in the rear, she quickly moved to embrace Eve.

But was cut off by a snarling visage of a Krogan, "who is this woman and why does she dare come before us?"

Abigail felt her body tense up and her hand reaching for her Eagle pistol.

"She is the woman who cured the geneophage, her opinion should be beyond reproof."

"And that has become an excuse for almost any behavior under the sun." The Krogan growled. "When it has been her species and her command that is responsible for bombing us in the first place, for killing even more Krogan, time and time again the Krogan reach out to trust the species of the Galaxy, only to be hated for it well afterwards."

"This was different, someone launched a coup within the Alliance Government to seize power, and then used that power to try and control the Galaxy. To do that he needed to remove the Krogan as a threat or to control them." Abigail explained.

"And for that we have only your word." The Krogan rushed forward.

"She has proven herself time and time again." Eve commented.

That wasn't enough to assuage the Krogan as he continued forward snarling.

James moved to intercept the Krogan putting his elbow into its face, the Krogan jerked up to a stop. "Look, I don't know what your problem is, but there are a million ways we could have killed you on the way in, twenty Krogan would've made a lovely grease spot on the stone pillars."

The Krogan blinked at James, then quirked his mouth and snarled.

"I take it that is Krogan for 'we're OK.'" James said not really letting go.

The Krogan hesitated for a second before chopping its head in a confirmation. He started backing off and joining the group of Krogan.

Finally the rest of the alien delegations arrived, all the people who were going to be responsible for deciding the future of Earth, the Council Governments, and quite possibly the entire Galaxy. The Batarians, Geth, and Quarians, hardly the shining examples of Galactic Order and Liberty, were all that stood in the way of the Alliance and the control of an entire Galaxy.

The two sides, with Shepard and her humans in the middle, studied each other, probably wondering the same thing, _will we act, and how?_

Finally Eve broke the tension, "It is probably for the best if we take this meeting to the hollows. We will be more secure in there then where we are."

"Right," Shepard spoke, the group surged forward, "but first…I have a loss to report."

Eve turned on her and her expression became inquisitive, for a Krogan.

"Ranaak Kurl, he is…dead…he died defending Omega."

"This is," Eve blinked, "unexpected, we have heard rumors about his taking the pirate station and placing himself on the throne. But where is our concern?"

"He was a changed…Krogan." Abigail started, "he cared, and he was trying to find his place in the universe. And he died a hero, not for his personal glory, but for the people of Omega and for his principles."

Eve hissed, "Then his death is a tragic loss for us all."

"Indeed," Abby nodded solemnly.

With that the entire procession moved into the hollows and took up their position around the circular center.

Shepard stood in the center along with General Beck and Garrus, the rest of the delegation maintained a lock on the perimeter. The Krogan who challenged her stood silently next to Eve, staring forward slightly.

She spun around and took stock of her environment, of what was happening around her, the mood of the building, trying to read the darkened faces and whether or not she could build a coalition here, or if it was up to her and her Alliance forces. Finally, she turned back to Eve.

"I now take it the assembled parties know what has happened, and why it has happened. Why the Krogan became a target for the corrupted Governments of the Galaxy, and why we must do everything we can to stop them." She stated simply.

"So, again, this becomes the concern of the Krogan, we must serve and die in place of the races of the Galaxy who will live in comfort." The Krogan snarled.

"No one will be above this duty. Not now, not during the Reaper war, and not when fighting the Rachni. We are in this together, if we aren't, then we will fail."

"As much as I may want to help, the Krogan do not have the military forces, or the soldiers, we have suffered another major attack causing severe casualties."

"The military is not the problem," Beck cut in, "We have ships capable of carrying the Krogan into battle."

"But then our numbers are, forcing a major invasion against a planetary Government, one even weakened in the wake of the Reaper war, is not an easy undertaking, there will be casualties." The Krogan pointed out, as if explaining it to a child.

"We believe we can...mitigate that." Abigail commented.

"Explain."

"Earth and most of the human race is under the control of a race of beings known as the Leviathans. They have deployed spheres on Earth which allow them to project their will and subvert people on the other end. We have developed technology allowing us to block those signals and set our people free."

The Krogan glared in her general direction and grinned, "Then why do you need us?"

"Because we do not know what the reaction of the population will be," Cameron came forward, "they could be confused, uncertain, still following their programming, or any number of reactions. We need to secure the planet and have a viable back up in place. You are not the main part of our plan you are the lynchpin."

"This is still a concern, because either way there is great risk," A Batarian voice muttered off to the side, "we have all suffered losses, we are all still trying to rebuild some semblance of our lives in the wake of the Reapers yet the Galaxy refuses to give us the time to do so. This past century has been the most active time for conflict in the history of the Galaxy as the Batarians know it. And after the recent successes against the Alliances forces we feel we have time to wait, wait them out, and tend to our own wounds."

"While the Galaxy also rebuilds?" James snapped.

"It's the risk we are willing to take."

Abigail and James looked at one another and scowled.

Shepard looked around pointedly, "Right now the Batarians have just one planet. The Geth and the Quarians, despite their industry and numbers, have just one planet. The Krogan for all their ferocity and even though they are waiting to colonize…have just one planet. The Alliance in Exile has just one space station to fall back on, and the Turians in exile have a couple of ships."

She waited for her point to sink in, for the races to reach the proper conclusion on their own without her having to spell it out. But she was going to anyways.

"The Alliance, the Turians, the Asari and the Salarians have, respectfully, _dozens_ of planets, industrial centers, mining bases, and while we have other resources and while some of those planets are in shambles, they can out build us, especially with the current administration."

Abigail Shepard finished her point by stepping forward and glaring into the assembled crowd, they held her gaze with admirable restraint and courage.

"Then we can rebuild, then we can-"

Shepard didn't hear the rest of the sentence as she was knocked down by a gust of wind and a large _BOOM_ behind her. She scrambled to her feet and saw half the podium gone, the Krogan looking skyward with lifeless eyes, and Urdnot Eve having a nasty gash on her head.

As she was looking an object flew in from off to her right as a grenade exploded plowing into the podium, fire burst and cut her off from the center of the crowd and burned her lungs.

"James!" She screamed getting up and deploying her Eagle.

"James, get these people out of here!" She yelled out.

"I'm not leaving you!"

She got her pistol into a perfect two handed stance and fired a couple of shots into the crowd of Batarians which were entering the hollows. Led by none other than Ragaruk, along with a scar and a disfigured part of the left side of his face, about fifteen enforcers followed in his wake. _Well this is different_, Abby murmured.

"James, Cameron, get the delegates out of here! Get them somewhere safe I will try and hold them off." Abigail ordered firing another burst from her Eagle.

"If you say so." James said sounding uncertain. "But here, catch!"

A folded N7 Valkyrie flew out of the inferno towards her and uncoiled in midair, she caught it one handed and brought it up to her shoulder to aim. The Batarians continued to advance, splitting into two groups, one heading for the delegates, and the other moving to cut her off even further.

_Ah I'm touched,_ she thought, _ten Batarians to kill little old me_.

They advanced quickly on her, and she took aim going into Adrenaline Rush, aiming with her Valkyrie, carefully swinging around…

And it roared in her hand, snapping two quick bullets as it jerked up into her grip, her shoulder absorbing the impact, and the shots burrowed into the Batarians head and shoulder sixty meters away.

The N7 trained soldier fired in a constant blast, running the Valkyrie down the line, and firing, taking out five of them in the process. Raguruk looked over his shoulder and snarled, taking his Striker and returning fire on her.

She rolled around to the next rock a little ways away and then snapped a new thermal clip into her Valkyrie, bringing the weapon up and around quickly and firing another three bursts taking out yet another of Ragaruk's squad. The Batarian glared at her and snarled rushing forward, she tried putting a few more rounds into him, but his shields held, Shepard cursed the Batarian for his sense of inequity.

The Batarian pocketed a Talon out of his side and began firing at her, the pellets chipping off one solid piece of her concrete duplicate debris slab at a time. She looked around across towards the center of the room and saw a gas grenade canister on the Krogan who was taken out in the initial attack. She aimed across with her Valkyrie, and fired.

A jet of white smoke filled the air obscuring the room, blasts of shot guns and strikers went off towards the center of the room into the smoke, but Shepard took the opportunity using it as cover, firing her Valkyrie, hopefully confusing the enemy even more.

She ran over to a side of a door, and leaned back, aiming with her Valkyrie towards the now clearing smoke. She fired twice, and took out another Batarian guard. A grenade exploded from her launcher taking out the final pair of guards. But she had to reload, and flee again as Raguruk began lobbing his grenades at her over the divide.

Shepard was alone now inside catacombs, reloading, and covering her back side, checking her corners, finding it difficult to move in her dress uniforms yet she was just able to keep moving.

But yet, no Batarian enforcer following her. She breathed and gasped leaning against one of the pillars and glaring down range using the sights on her Valkyrie, daring her opponent to come flying around the corner. _Where are you?_ When there was still no response, she decided to start moving again, toggling her Omni-tool to find James's, when she did, she headed in his direction.

Before moving five steps a rattling noise caused her to jolt, spinning around and bringing the Valkyrie up into a precise hold. She glanced around for a second checking her corners and the shadows, backing up slightly she suddenly wrenched her body around as a noise came from her other side.

The Valkyrie held her weapon in her hands bringing it into a cross position just in front of her face, slowly spinning around in her place, the deep shadows, and the generally dark surroundings made it difficult for her to see anything definite. _This is not good, and here I am without support either_.

She drove herself into a cartwheel as a grenade went off behind her, followed by several more similar explosions following her fleeing form. Finishing the maneuver she got up and rolled to the side firing her weapon blindly to where she thought the target was, the weapon reports echoing down the stone masonry long after she finished shooting.

But to no avail, no yells of pain, any crumpling bodies and groaning sounds. Nothing.

Abby glanced over her shoulder while keeping the Valkyrie out ahead of her, maintaining good cover on both of her sides.

All she heard with hissing laughter, "What's the matter human, afraid of the dark?"

She challenged back, "Not really, but usually the scary monsters under the bed didn't have grenades, why don't you come out and face me!"

"All in good time Shepard, all in good time." The Batarian mocked.

She hissed and redoubled her hold on the Valkyrie, continuing her search, drawing her attention at every little noise, and jolt that caught her attention, but once she was reasonably sure it was nothing, she moved on, weapon moving, eyes scanning.

A grenade shot out at her from the darkness, she rolled to the side avoiding her as it exploded harmlessly behind her. Another grenade followed it in and this one caught her square in the chest causing her shields to splutter and to blink out. She snapped an explosive shell of her own down range, and then one returned fire on her exploding and causing her to stagger, her Valkyrie to rip from her hands.

She rolled around dazed, and got up into a movement; the Valkyrie was just ahead of her, lying there. Raguruk came up to her, cockily; he aimed his Striker, and glanced to the side. She dove for the Valkyrie but his grenade intersected it, blowing it to bits and knocking it away from her.

The human glared up at her attacker, the Batarian smiled victoriously down at her, taking in his kill. He leaned back and aimed the Striker, bringing it into his shoulder, depressing the trigger in one sold motion…which the weapon then beeped and hissed in his hand, a jet of steam escaping it. The Batarian scowled down at his weapon.

Shepard lunged at him, scrambling up, her Omni-blade swinging out, Ragruk caught it in his hand, spun her around, grabbing her by the waste from behind and yanking back. Her feet came off the ground and he hissed mockingly in her ear. Trying to squeeze the life out from under her.

She coughed and spluttered, but snapped her Eagle out, and fired. Raguruk howled as the blast sheered off most of his foot in the first strike. Abigail swung around elbowing him in the head, and then rolling forward as she was freed. She snapped around and fired off two more bullets which struck him in the chest.

A concussive shot knocked him back and to where he slid down the wall, and fell facing her.

Abigail ran up to him before he could recover and dragged him up, one handed, by the scruff of the neck. The Batarian spluttered and spat at her. She reacted by bringing the barrel of the Eagle pointing at his face. The Batarian soldier snarled at it.

"Just do it!" He snarled.

Her finger twitched and her Eagle came up, nearly into his face. "I would like to." She hissed.

"Then end it, my life, finish what you started! There are other Batarians here, kill them to, or do you like your pet play things?"

"You trying to anger the woman who holds your life and your death in your hands?" Abigail muttered.

The Batarian just glared back at her.

_Shepard, don't do this, fight them until you can't or until they are defeated_. This thought caused her to freeze. She shoved the Batarian in the dirt and turned around.

Toggling her Omni-tool she pocketed her Eagle and spoke into it, "James, the leader of the terrorist squad has been secured. Send a recovery team down here at once."

"Lola? You ok there?" James asked.

She smiled, but her mind was racing, "yeah James, situation secure."

She heard a grunt and a yell of fury behind her, instinctually she spun around dropping into a crouch, the Eagle coming up in her hand, and she squeezed the trigger, the three bullets slammed into both his shoulders and his head. He rolled over groaning, as his life drained out of his body.

"Lola? What was that?" James's voice drifted out of her tool.

"Nothing James, situation is secure," She slammed her Eagle back into its holster, "Shepard out."

A mechanical roar caught her attention and she turned just in time to see a Krogan Tomkah crawl up to her and assume a stopped position. James was already leading the procession out of the thing followed by the Krogan delegation, General Beck, and the Batarian delegation.

Shepard stalked over to the Batarians and got in their face, "did your government authorize this?"

The Batarian leader sneered, "We did not, if you think you can insinuate and slander the Batarian new Government, then you will be sadly mistaken-"

She slammed her fist across his head, stunning him into silence, "that is not the point. These Batarians were acting against orders, under Leviathan manipulation. This is what they do. They will tear us apart, infiltrate our societies, turn brother against brother, and tear us down. They will keep coming. They will destroy our societies by making them take it out, and then they will come in when we are weakened and take over. That is why they waited for the war. But now we have an opportunity, a chance, we have beaten them, and that gives us time, but only if we act!"

The Batarian scowled, into silence, for a few moments, Shepard wasn't sure if she had pushed the delegate too far, but finally he nodded and sneered at her, "your point is well taken Shepard," he hissed, "where do we sign up?"


	35. Chapter 35

_Normandy-War Room_

"Arcturus." Cameron muttered under his breath.

Abigail arched an eyebrow and glanced at the Commander for a split second wondering what his problem was.

"Problem?"

The former Spectre from another universe shrugged, "Just in my universe we had not gotten around to rebuilding it yet. I think they were…well…expecting me to do it."

Abigail smiled lightly at that, _but of course_.

"Still, it _is _the logical first step. As long as we know…don't attack the Citadel or something." General Beck commented also staring deeply at the hologram rotating over the holo board.

"Which, isn't really an option, and wouldn't solve the problem." Cynthia commented sarcastically.

"True, we need to hit this conspiracy where it lives."

"Which, wouldn't that be, by now, the Citadel?" Garrus commented his mandibles twitching.

Abigail shook her head, "no, even if we could take control and depose the current Corrupted Council the enemies are on the home worlds. They are dug in _there_."

"Besides," Cameron stated, "if I were them I would be expecting an attack there and reinforce it for just such an eventuality."

"Not to mention," Ashley opined joining the round table, "there forces are thin, they should be focusing on one place to protect right now, and right now the Citadel is still the center of Galactic Politics. Such as they are." She added the last sarcastically.

"Still," Abby said silencing debate, "Arcturus is a focal point. For logical reasons it will be the first step to retaking the rest of the Galaxy. Agreed?"

It took a moment but slowly everyone nodded their head or did some other form of confirmation, Beck looked at her last, shrugged, and then nodded. The entire room was silent for a few moments after that, Abby and the gang probably thinking of what they were going to do next.

"Alright, so now that is decided what are we likely to face, EDI?"

"Long range sensors still haven't been able to detect anything from the Archtrus relay or the surrounding space. We have no idea what we are going into." EDI reported

"Communications are likewise down." Traynor supplanted. "The entire system has gone into radio lock down as soon as we hit the Tuchanka relay."

"Anything else? Miranda?"

Miranda frowned, "my sources tell me that the Alliance has pulled many of their ships off of the front line services throughout the Galaxy, I do not, however, know where they are, and my intelligence within the Alliance itself is spotty."

Abby sighed _so much for that_.

"We also have to consider the Arcturus ground contingent; it _is_ the center of the Alliance Government. An Alliance Government that knows it may be unpopular by a military sect, we might need ground troops."

"And our anti Leviathan devices cannot penetrate hulls," Palin finished.

Cynthia snorted, "Good thing we brought the Krogan."

Abigail nodded, "alright then, the best way for us to get information then is to charge in and gather it ourselves. We'll be cautious, but if we are going to do this, then we should get to it."

The group nodded again, more determined, more eager.

"Dismissed," Abby finished.

_Shepard's Cabin_

Abigail Shepard sat down at her desk reading a report pad and stroking Cameron behind the ears absentmindedly. The report indicated the total number of forces she had at her command to retake Earth, Arcturus, Palaven, and the whole damn Galaxy and wrestle control of it away from the Leviathans.

The report read _Independent Earth Alliance Forces, 4__th__ division, associated Ships, 14,700. Krogan Expeditionary force, 20,000, Free Turians, 97, Batarian Enforcer Brigade 500, Unaligned Terminus Forces 1,000, all other forces 1500_.

Shepard frowned at the results, _not a lot of people to save the Galaxy with_; her cabin door beeping interrupted her train of thought.

"Come," She said to the door, and turned to face it.

Cameron entered carrying a wine bottle and two glasses; Abby arched an intrigued eyebrow and smiled at the brother.

"End of the line?" He commented to her look.

She nodded and smirked, "you know, back in the old days, before high risk operations I had a tendency to engage in 'contact sports' with my squad. This stopped as soon as I was assigned to the _Normandy_, well I guess except for James, but I always wondered about that."

Cameron froze, and shook his head, "Yeah, I was the same way."

Abigail frowned, "oh really?"

"Yeahhhh." The man breathed, he eyed her, "where is James?"

Abigail smirked, "he is looking at and going over the inventory of weapons and supplies we have in stock. Also meeting with the Krogan and going over their weapons."

Cameron poured a glass and offered it to her, she looked at it dubiously, but he started off, "What weapons do the Krogan have?"

She shrugged, "A few of their own, Claymore, Eviscerator shotguns and Spike Throwers. Apparently they picked up a few pallets of Phaeston Assault Rifles during the war that the Turians were quite happy to provide them during the war. As well as Krysae snipers and Kishock harpoon guns."

"Not to mention their fists."

She snorted, but did not allow herself to become distracted for a second time, "What is this stuff?"

Cameron glanced at the bottle a twirled it so the label was right in his eyes, "A rare Terminus System port."

"The Terminus has ports?" Abigail said with mocking incredulity, "what will they think of next?"

Cameron shot her a look and frowned, then shrugged, "Still, I doubt it's poisonous."

"You don't know?" Abby snorted.

"Well, I have not thought to taste test it." He grunted.

She snorted again, "I guess if we pass out the med bay is just down the hall, then I can sick Cameron on you."

The ocelot meowed.

"Right." Cameron muttered. "Bottoms up."

Downing it in one go her eyes bugged out and her throat didn't _burn_ so much but felt like someone shoved the _Normandy's_ exhaust port down her mouth and turned it on thinking she made a convenient launching pad.

Cameron and she went into a mutual sputtering fit and Abigail gasped as she wiped her mouth on her sleeves. She felt like her guts were coming out and was going to spill all over her cat and her communications tab, the cat that was giving the both of them a narrow look.

Finally, the coughing passed and Abigail looked up to regard Cameron. "Cameron." She hissed.

"Yes?" He coughed once and then looked at her wearily.

"The next time you feel the need to buy any beverage from the Terminus systems…don't." She said.

"Fair enough."

They reached mutual agreement with their eyes and a nod.

"_Captain, we have arrived at the Arcturus system, ETA to the station, fifteen minutes_." Joker reported.

They decided to head on to the CIC.

_CIC_

"Report." Abigail Shepard ordered.

They were hanging just outside of the sensor envelope of the station, and any ships were waiting. Their energy emissions could still give the fleet away but they could jump out if a large contingent of ships decided to come poking around. The _Normandy_ was at the lead of the formation.

"There are no ships and the station's defenses are powered down." EDI reported dutifully monitoring the feeds from her probes.

"What?" Abby uncrossed her arms and turned to face EDI. "Confirm that, could they be using stealth drives?"

"How could they build that many stealth ships?" Miranda remarked incredulously.

"There are no ships in the vicinity, and there is no evidence of stealth drives in operation. Also, we are being hailed."

_This should be interesting_, "Put them on."

"What the hell." Cameron murmured.

"_To the probes we assume belong to the SSV _Normandy_, this is Major Roth on Arcturus station. By the power invested in me by Alliance authorities we surrender to you and your forces, and turn control of the station and its resources over to you." _

Abby felt her eyebrows arch up in surprise as she looked around in the well of the Galaxy Map to her assembled squad.

"_Also_," The voice continued, _"we are open to you and your forces if you want to make use of our facilities and resupply. We await your decision." _

The Captain, the one whose 'decision' this technically was jutted her chin out and rolled her head around from side to side. Her brain was once more racing.

"It's a trap." James remarked simply.

"What?" Abigail turned and smirked to him, "no 'could be'"

"Well, it could be a trap." Cameron echoed sarcastically turning to Vega.

"EDI?" Shepard asked.

"I am not detecting any signs of activity within a One AU distance from the station with active sensor scans and probes." She reported.

"Hmm, alright, we dock, get General Beck up here, Cameron, James, Miranda, you're with me. Joker keep the ship primed for FTL, just in case." Abby ordered.

"_Right, plotting a course now_." Joker reported over the intercom.

_Arcturus-Docking Bay D 24_

The Kodiak they traveled in sat docked in the berth behind her as they walked down the whole connecting bridge leading to the airlock joining Arcturus to the lesser gravity smaller atmosphere part of the station.

Abigail led the procession of human, rogue Alliance Officers, she in full N7 body armor, and carrying her Valkyrie to where it was placed across her chest. She was the only one who had her weapon out, but considering Cameron and Miranda were biotics they weren't exactly defenseless.

The airlock door rushed open and the air rushed to equalize briefly as they stepped on through to the airlock, it snapped shut behind them.

"_Captain Shepard."_ A voice called. _"One moment please."_

"_Decontamination in Progress."_ The VI's voice whirled above them as the process began.

The barely visible laser screen washed over them slowly, painfully slowly. Abby's hairs prickled on her neck annoyingly as they were 'decontaminated' by the process, their bodies being 'washed' in radiation which was rumored to be harmless. _How primitive_ Abby thought, given the other processes that were now standard on the _Normandy_.

Finally the process completed and the door opened in front of them, Abby still stopped up short as a man, _Major Roth?_, stood in front of them with his hands folded over his chest. He was swarthy looking, darker complexion, and a very clean trimmed beard staring at her clearly with dark brown eyes.

"Major Roth I presume?" She asked stepping forward.

"That's me." Major Roth nodded. "Captain Shepard, I guess I can't blame you for being armed. Unknown situation."

"An unknown situation on the Capitol space station of a Government which has declared me and anyone associated to me renegades from the law. Yeah, have to assume that this could be some carefully executed trap."

Roth smiled, "if it was, then I'm caught in it too." He stepped away from the tunnel and gestured down the hall, "please."

She got in line next to him, they started walking and the squad filled in behind them slowly securing the area as they went. They went slowly, taking their time, and the scenic route, they passed very few other officers on the way through the station.

"So," Abby stated folding her arms behind her back, "I take it since you are here and Soren isn't that he left?"

Roth nodded, "indeed he packed up and left about three days ago, in the middle of the night, with what we assume is anyone who was officially loyal to his cause. Didn't tell anyone other than the inner circle about it. Took most of the Alliance Parliament, and then destroyed the vessels and our long range communications suites, stranding us here."

"Without supplies?" James asked.

"They actually didn't take those; they left us enough supplies for two or three weeks' worth."

"Hoping the crisis would end by then?" James asked rhetorically.

"Crisis?" Roth stopped and knitted his brows turning to James.

"We stopped an attack on Omega, took out most of the enemy fleet that were harassing us." Abby explained.

"Wow," Roth whistled, "I take it that these are survivors?" Roth gestured to the General.

"Actually we defected."

"Wow," Roth blinked, "so that means they are…what, consolidating their forces?"

"That is a good enough explanation as any."

"But that means…the entire fleet has been consolidated around Earth?"

"Which actually complicates the situation instead of making it easier," Abby sighed.

"You don't have a fleet?" Roth asked.

Abby looked at him, "right around a few hundred ships, doesn't sound like enough to punch through, especially when we are trying to liberate Palaven as well."

Roth nodded but stayed silent as he led them down the winding corridors, to where Abby was not exactly sure, having not been to the new center of the Alliance government, at least not for a while, and not since the coup. But she had a good idea.

She eyed the Major next to him, and his Battle Dress Uniform, he _looked_ competent and honest. Even though this could have been a trap Abby had doubted it.

Instead her mind began working on their current tactical problem, _they had fled to Earth, why?_ If Earth was the center of Soren's operation and power base then why fall back there? After all the fact that Arcturus were a choke point still applied even to today's circumstances, it made no sense for him to fall back there when he could just engage any fleet coming on after him here. _Unless he has something on Earth?_

"Tell me, Roth, did Soren spend much time here?"

"He did, spent a lot of time in his office."

"And you haven't been…indoctrinated?"

"Hmmm?" Roth grunted, "Not to the best of my knowledge, but Soren kept us isolated from news throughout the rest of the Alliance. Instead of normal leave he has been tracking people and cycling them out. He has had a very select group of people that visits him from Earth."

"Interesting," Abby mused.

"But not helpful." Cameron added.

"Well," Abby agreed, "It does raise more questions, why come here so much, only to retreat to Earth when pushed?"

"We'll find out eventually." Cameron shrugged.

Abigail bit her lip as she stopped, the crowd filled in around her, looking at her. "Right," She finally chopped her head, "lead on."

They reached their destination quickly, the Arcturus war room, simply a large version of the _Normandy's_ whole table in a depression in the center, stairs leading down to it, and computer banks along the walls. Still about two times the number which were in the _Normandy's_ mounted along two levels, ladders leading up to them, only about half of them were currently manned by techs and officers.

Right now the central table showed the station whirring in it, status reports racing along the display board.

Abigail eyed it, "everything seems to be in working order, got anything from Earth?"

"Hold on," Roth nodded to one of the techs, "Sorren kept a classified file in here, but we can access it."

The image flickered and changed, now showing Earth, in all its glory.

Abigail's smile instantly dissolved into a furious scowl, as it hit her what she was seeing.

"What the hell have they done?" James asked aghast.

Huge industrial blooms coated swaths of the continents, shanty towns were established at the edges of industrialized major cities adding new meaning to the term 'urban sprawl.' Reports indicated everything from weapon and warship production, to the slave camp health, to even the sex rings operating and how efficiently they were going and what the numbers was. But the final number was the most telling, the subordination index, which, was very high almost planet wide.

"We are running out of time." Abigail murmured, she activated her Omni-tool, "EDI, get everyone down here now. We need to talk and work out a plan."

Several hours later the entire staff of the Free Alliance fleet had gathered in the war room. A flat representation of Earth hung over the wall behind them as they continue to file in, some of the guests looked at it sideways, and the Alliance Marine contingent shift around nervously at their posts as they watched several violent and aggressive species mull around their CIC.

When it looked like she had everyone Shepard stepped forward, "if I could have everyone's attention please."

Instead of silence the talking ad chatter only seemed to grow _louder_

"Hey!" Cynthia bellowed "shut up! Shepard is trying to speak here!"

Abby flinched as the Blond was standing right next to her, and thus the main thrust of the assault went into _her_ ear. But yet it had the desired effect as the room quieted.

"Alright, that's more like it," She shot Cynthia a smile, the Sentinel beamed back at her. She turned back to the crowd. "As you all have observed the giant Alliance Fleet that we were expecting didn't show up to their party." Chuckles met that pronouncement, "which means, they are probably waiting for us at our final destinations."

The crews nodded and glanced at each other.

"It matters not!" A Krogan voice bellowed from somewhere in the back. "Wherever our enemies hide we will find them and we will crush them!"

His companions roared in support, Shepard smirked at their bravado and waited for them to quiet down.

"Alright, maybe so," She finally started when she felt she could be heard, "maybe so, but we still need a plan, to breach their defenses, and deliver our payloads to the planet's surface."

The room grew thoughtful. Looking at each other, waiting for someone to make a suggestion.

"We should use probes, they will mimic our ships power signatures, they will go and attack them, and we will jump in from behind them." EDI suggested.

"Interesting" Abby murmured, joining in several other proclamations across the fleet, "it could work, but the question is, how?"

EDI's expression looked _insulted_, at her pronouncement; Abby smirked wryly at her, but nodded for her to continue.

"I have advanced Reaper detection and deception protocols." She replied.

"You have never done anything like this before," Cameron pointed out.

"I can." EDI insisted.

"It will take some minuscule arrangements and manipulations from you." Abby cut in.

"I can manage it, and do you have a better plan?"

"No," Abby admitted.

"Then it is settled." EDI smiled.

"I guess if it works," Cameron muttered shrugging.

"It should, just hasn't been used before." Abigail shrugged, "because no one has had a super awesome AI to work with or probes capable of finding the targets. Anyways," She clapped her hands together, "bring up a map of Earth."

The map went from the global sphere to a two d representation of the planet surface, as well as cities, political boundaries, and geographical features. It was still colored in the blue like all the other maps he had seen on this subject.

The room studied the map for several seconds, drinking it in, observing the seven continents.

"Alright, so then what?" One of the Krogan asked.

"We need to attack the planet at once, go in once the confusion sets in, and secure the planet." One of the Batarians suggested.

Abigail thought about it then chopped her head, "exactly. What we need to do is attack them all at once to take out the sting of their attacks, same for Palavan. Fortunately Soren has made this easier by concentrating the population in the Major Metropolitan areas, we take those, and we can take the planet."

"But that sounds like a lot of forces, and we need to assign group Commanders to each area." Garrus pointed out.

Abigail felt her stomach constrict, but again, nodded.

"Major Roth, where are you from?"

"The United Kingdom, London." He muttered.

"Alright, you have London and that area of the world. I'll take Los Angelas." Abigail slowly started.

Slowly they went over the list of assignments and haggled and dealt with anything else that might provide an interest. Cameron was tagging along with her to Los Angelas, they would have two squads representing them there, they figure that is where Nathan and his gang would engage them anyways, knowing her.

Garrus decided to join them putting another Turian on Palaven: "I figure someone has to keep you out of trouble Shepard."

Zaeed took Chicago, the fourth division command took New York. Liara took Madrid, Palin Paris, EDI drew Berlin for her tender love and care. The Krogan were assigned the entire Middle East and Egypt, the Batarians got Beijing, the Geth meanwhile drew Moscow for their attack, and the Quarians Migrant Marines assigned to invade down under and take Australia.

With everyone having a mission, at least for Earth, Abby left the room and let Garrus consult with the delegation and draw up additional forces for the invasion of Palaven.

_It's going to be close_.

But she bumped into Admiral Jameson out in the hall; the older woman looked tired and uncertain.

"Admiral," Abby nodded.

The old woman smiled wanly, "I am surprised you are still calling me that."

Abigail arched an eyebrow, "why? It's not something that I resent you for."

"I could still be betraying you." Jameson pointed out. "Under the Leviathan control."

"True, but if you were, you would have used it by now, and what could you do? I can take you in a fight, my shields will hold on an assassination attempt, and EDI is monitoring all outgoing traffic."

She smiled, "Very well."

A little while later found them back in the central war room, at least the leaders of this little cabal they had against the governments that had destroyed their freedoms and liberty and had twisted human and alien morality. The Galaxy was now aligning to say no.

The assignments were doled out; the leaders talked to their officers, their officers to their subordinates, and their subordinates to their men, now it was time for Abigail Shepard to give one final speech.

She stood, in dress uniforms, on the second level, overlooking the entire room packed with the multi species envoy.

Her mind was lost for words, but only for a quick second, as inspiration struck her, a wry smile spreading across her face.

"The last decade has been busy hasn't it?" She started, to chuckles. "Batarians attacking humans, humans attacking Batarians. Geth, Collectors, Cerberus, Reapers, and Disciples." She clenched the rail looking down, rocking in a bemused gesture, her smile transforming into a grin. "You'd think the universe would give us a break don't you?"

The Krogan roared in challenge as the rest of the group laughed and chanted and stomped their feet.

"Well it hasn't!" She yelled drawing them out even more; they were so entranced by her voice. "Because now the Leviathans are challenging us, now they want to come forward to take our freedoms and liberties, our lives and our very souls. They hope to divide us, they hope to conquer us. Like the Reapers and Cerberus before them. All they want is to control us, because they have the audacity to believe they can, that they know best how to run our lives."

She let the words sink in, and then pounded her fist, "Well they don't! Here we stop them all and say enough! That only we are in charge of our destinies. Today we make our stand, for the right of free people everywhere to self-determinate, for future generations stretching out into untold generations."

Cheering, clapping, and roaring Krogan, now she had them, now they knew what they had to do what they were fighting for.

_What they were all fighting for._

"Good speech!" James yelled in her ear over the commotion.

"You know how to please a crowd Shepard," Garrus trilled in her ear clapping.

She blushed but nodded, "Thank you, I guess you do this often enough, you get used to it."

But with that, they left, and so did the other officers, back to their commands, ready for the war.

…

"_And with that, the war for Earth begins."_


	36. Chapter 36

_Sol Relay_

The fleet popped out of the relay at maximum speed and instantly was pounded by the flanking members of the fleet still loyal to the Alliance Government. _Normandy_ pitched dramatically and swung around with full engines as the lasers flashed past them, and artillery swarmed around them heading for the other ships.

The _Normandy_ and its fleet returned fire quickly, firing with Thanix canons and missiles which devastated the enemy task force, hulling their ships, and knocking their weapons off line. The fleet continued to fire on, making their presence known, but the fire was somehow less, on both sides.

_Normandy-Bridge_

Shepard's stomach dropped and then rose up into her throat as Joker pulled the _Normandy_ into a radical left turn and then corrected by jutting the ship full on to the right. Lasers flashed by the cockpit as they swerved through space, making it difficult for the enemy to gain a target lock.

"Joker!" She cursed trying to keep her lunch down.

"Yeah, I know!" He slammed a free hand into the com panel and activated the link, "Garrus, you know what I'm doing!?"

"_Yes," _even through the distortion Abigail thought that the Turian's voice sounded kind of, _sick_. _"I think so, getting the weapons ready now_."

"Oh I get it," Ashley remarked as a gray blur flashed by the screen then did so again.

_I think I do too_, Abby thought, keeping her mouth slammed shut to keep the bilge from spewing out all over the deck floor.

The blur flashed by once more, this time closer, Joker keeping his pivots and dodges completely random, tuning the stealth drive just a little bit, to keep them from getting hit.

And with that Abigail nearly lost her lunch, she could feel the ship straining underneath her, but Joker _probably_ knew the limits of the ships and the technology.

Finally a burst of light and fire roared from the blur in front of them, and Abby's eyes shot to the scanners, blips appeared and rushed past them on the way through. The artillery barrage and missile salvo missing the _Normandy_ by inches as Joker just managed to maneuver past them.

_Nice flying Joker_.

_Space_

The _Normandy_ fired its main weapons, a full spread of Disrupter Torpedoes at close range, each missile slammed into the Cruiser knocking out its barriers and ripping the Cruiser apart.

The Cruiser yawed heavily to port, and exploded. The enemy lines rapidly began to dissolve as their flag ship was reduced to charred metal and ions. They were pushed back, and some of them reversed directions and proceeded to the maximum velocity towards Earth.

The combined allied fleet regrouped and went into a more stable position and began consulting with one another.

_Normandy-Bridge_

"Status?" Abby asked.

"Two ships destroyed," EDI began to report, "all others have suffered minor damage and are standing by to jump, and secondary fleet is on the other side of the Mass Relay."

"Alright, commence phase two of the operation."

"Jumping in 3…2…1…" Joker replied

_Space_

The fleet went to FTL only to reappear on the other side, popping up on the 'dark side' of Mars facing away from Earth and any intelligence drones or scanning beams which may've been looking for them. Without them being under observation the ships went to work.

Each of the ships capable of launching such things fired off three probes; the probes began transmitting radio and energy signals and rapidly crested mars and swung around towards Earth at high speed.

The fleet orbiting Earth rapidly picked them up on their sensor nets, confirmed their identity as the fleet which they were assigned to stop, and acted accordingly. To their sensors they were facing off against their intelligence estimates of what they were facing, confirmed by the skirmish their relay forces held. None of them stopped to wonder why they would be heading straight in, employing no counter measures, but making no secret about their approach.

Their targeting sensors lanced out through the void trying to confirm the existence of the ships and their identities, but were met with only silence. Still they went though, completing their turn quickly, and arming their weapons, accelerating to intercept the enemy somewhere out amongst the stars, thinking it was the jamming keeping them from achieving hard lock.

But suddenly, behind them, new targets spit themselves from FTL and made their turns to engage the enemy from behind. Their opposition was caught unawares.

Precise blasts from Thanix Canons and lasers lanced out into the darkness, seeking out engine pods, sensors, shields, and weapons, effectively crippling anyone who got in their way, effectively reducing their combat reaction times, making their turning arcs slower and sluggish.

This gave the allied fleets time. Most of the ships continued to engage the Alliance fleet, while others peeled off, led by the _Normandy_.

Three more ships dropped out of FTL in the midst of this firefight, three large freighters, crammed to the gills with Krogan intent on avenging their losses and bringing stability to the Galaxy.

_Normandy-Bridge_

Abigail Shepard watched the sensor boards as the fleet perfectly engaged the ambush of the Alliance forces. But the Alliance ships, mainly the picket ships and Frigates, were rapidly turning to reengage the fleet which suddenly appeared _behind_ them, but which the Shepard fleet could not engage them back.

Abigail sighed, _but there is little I can do right now_, "Joker, take care of her; keep her safe while we're gone."

The pilot nodded, concentrating, as the squad made their way over for the lift, and further danger.

They arrived in the shuttle bay, Shepard, Cameron, their respective squads, EDI, and a few of the other representatives, crowded around. Abigail quickly dressed into her armor, but Cameron eyed her for a minute as she was flexing her fingers.

"Why Los Angeles?" The male she said.

"It's my home for one, and it makes sense, will be the perfect lure to Nathan and whatever is left of his forces, but this time we will have the advantage."

Cameron took that in stride and nodded, "Makes sense that is if you can get Nathan to show up."

"He'll be there," Abigail stated confidently.

"Why so sure?" James asked.

"Again, it's only logical."

They stepped slowly into the Kodiak, cramped from the other squad, Cortez turned to give them an uncertain look but sealed the door for them, and away they went, the Kodiak breaching the _Normandy's_ containment shield and puttering along through to the planet.

_Space_

The Kodiak shuttle dove through the battle, the ships providing a good shield as they continued to engage the enemy. But some of them, including the _Normandy_ started to peel off and launch a series of spherical discs. Hundreds of them exploded towards the planet, following, then rapidly eclipsing, the shuttles and transports streaming towards the invasion corridor.

As soon as they hit atmosphere they burst, shredding their armored shells, the main assemblages speeding towards the planet and breaching the atmosphere with breath taking purpose.

Each of them slammed into the outskirts of a city, a town, where it would be hard to gain a precise transmission lock on them, and began transmitting.

The effect throughout the planet was slow and profound; people woke up for the first time from a bad dream and observed their surroundings. Some in the middle of intercourse, some in the middle of their working on a vital Alliance military initiative, and some from literal sleep, the only break they had in this enduring nightmare.

And yet others stayed asleep.

_Los Angeles-Earth_

In the middle of a long road, on the top of a bombed out building, a woman looked up at the stuttering sound of engines. She clinched the Avenger Assault Rifle on her back as suddenly her mind cleared, a dark blue shape moved above her.

…

Abigail Shepard led the procession of squad mates off the Kodiak's deck and onto the bombed out street. Abby sighed, _still hasn't changed_. At least this part of the planet hadn't, or it could have been the resistance doing their thing.

Suddenly a woman came up out of the shadows, her black skin making it harder for her or anyone else to see her. Abigail drew her Valkyrie and aimed down it.

"White Knight," the woman said simply.

"Red King." Abigail agreed, putting the weapon in a less threatening position.

The woman blinked, "Regards from the Earth resistance Abigail Shepard, welcome to Earth."

"Thank you, I take it your command center isn't far?"

"Right this way."

She led them back towards the building where she emerged from; they stepped on through the door into a cramped, dusty, and full off three rows of three computer consoles and a desk behind it.

Abby looked around the room, the squads quickly filled in, the room nearly breached to capacity, the confines feeling cramped, the shadows they cast drowning out most of the light that remained in the small room. The screen at the edge of it finally lighted.

"What's the situation?" Abby asked.

"We can't be sure, but there are reports throughout the planet. Something is happening, our instruments are detecting an energy signal which seems to be blocking out the Leviathan control signals." One of the technicians reported.

"Is it working?" Miranda asked.

"Riots in Paris, an assault on an Alliance 'facility' in Moscow, and reports of multiple Alliance facilities disarming, but, there are a few blank zones."

"Oh?" Abby replied.

"We're working on it." The technician replied.

"Alright," Abby nodded, "tell your men any fighters you have to secure the capitol complex and also put a guard on the probe."

The Woman who escorted them nodded, Abigail turned to leave, but was stopped, "Captain, Jason sends his regards. He was taken and converted by the Leviathan signals, and nearly brought down the entire North American resistance."

Abigail felt her stomach drop out, "I am sorry to hear that."

She shrugged, "our new boss had to put him down."

"New boss?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah," the woman said nodding, "said her name was Jack, and said that she wanted to be put on as soon as you arrived here."

"Jack!" Shepard yipped surprised, "why yes, put her on."

The woman nodded to a technician who manipulated her controls in front of her for a second. The screen blanked out, whined, and then came back to life. When it did Jack was peering out of it, with a full set of long black hair. Her mouth quirked into a smirk.

"Hey Shepard, good to see you again."

"Jack!" Shepard greeted happily, "nice to see you too, so what, you running the resistance now?"

"Yeah, I made it out of Grissom Academy and made my way to Earth as soon as I thought something was wrong. Kahlee was acting…strange." She down cast her eys.

"I'm sorry," Abigail muttered.

"Meh, hopefully now we can reverse the process. But that is not really why I called, we can do short talk later."

"Very well." Abigail nodded appreciating the straight to business attitude. They could always get to more later _if they survived_.

"Where do you need me?" Jack said simply.

"Where are you?" Abby asked by way of reply.

"Right now? Hunkering in a safe house in Boston, trying to get a read on the situation, trying to see where to go."

Abby nodded, "the fourth division has landed in New York, try and get into contact with them and meet up, if you manage it that means we have virtually the entire North Eastern Seaboard under our control."

"Well, except for Pennsylvania." Jack teased.

"Right, let's worry about them later." Abigail stated.

"Right," Jack shrugged, "moving out."

"Speaking of which," Abby said to the woman turning back around.

"Yeah, I know," She shrugged and looked at her people, "OK people this is it! Move out we leave in five!" She turned back to Shepard, "and where are you going?" She asked.

"We are taking a Kodiak down town." Abigail replied cryptically.

Their Kodiak swept over the low buildings, Tenth Street, smack dab in the industrial district in Los Angeles. The personal stomping grounds of the once powerful and feared 'tenth street reds'. Now just an empty husk of what it had been. The Reds, despite their claims, and their gains into extraterrestrial markets, suffered the same fate as many people did when Earth fell to the Reapers. Annihilation. Becoming scattered across the Galaxy and the Alliance, looking for honest work, or a chance to strike back at their oppressors.

Abigail leapt off the Kodiak along with the two squads following her, James and Garrus huddling by her, and Cynthia and Miranda standing dutifully by Cameron.

"Cortez" She called into her head piece, "go get some distance and hide, if we need you we'll call."

"Right away Shepard," The Kodiak dutifully powered up and lurched skyward away from the docks.

"Nice and homely place you got here Shepard." Garrus purred behind her.

She grinned, "You've seen nothing yet. With a little red drapery, a flag, and a wall painted with racist slogans it can get downright cozy."

"The Shepard child hood home, funny, I was imagining more explosions, guns placed everywhere." James cut in.

"Oh, there will be explosions James…"

"Sweet!"

"As for guns…" She studied the three buildings which flanked the street, the two apartment complexes, one of them holding the interior sanctum of the reds, the other just a random place she had visited, and the complex of now abandoned businesses. _It held a machine shop if memory serves_. "Alright, Cameron, I want you somewhere in the back, fan out over the lower levels, I know it sucks but right now I want someone watching the door. I will be there." She pointed to a balcony and fire escape on the nearest apartment. "James, you will be on the other apartment, and Garrus, the roof of the shops, got it?"

"Yeah, who would be stupid enough to come down that street?" Cynthia asked.

"Why I want you watching the back." Abby pointed out.

"Right." Cynthia grunted following Cameron who was already moving.

"Now what Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"Now we wait, and if Nathan is still under the Leviathan's thrall he'll be here, if not, then we'll move to secure the rest of the planet."

"Right," James nodded, and then scrambling up the stairs.

_Normandy-Bridge_

"Our friend is back." Joker reported tightly.

"Huh? Friend?" Ashley asked.

Lasers flashed by the cockpit and Joker put the _Normandy_ into a radical left hand turn trying to maneuver away. Their duplicate flashed by the cockpit.

"Oh," Ashley blinked, "them, well you know what to do."

"Yeah thanks," he hissed pulling the _Normandy _into another maneuver, "easier said by the Captain then done by the pilot."

"Why so touchy Joker?" Ashley asked.

He grunted, "Well…shoo, let me fly the ship and I will tell you later."

"Alright, alright." Ashley said settling down.

Joker pulled the _Normandy_ into a tight loop; the enemy fired a spread of torpedoes at them which flashed by them as they completed the arc and went down on the turn. But the Frigate powered away from them, Joker taking off in pursuit.

_Los Angeles- Tenth Street_

Abigail Shepard crouched in the living room of one of the 'main' apartments where they had stayed as a girl. She shivered, this was the home of one of the gang bosses, a burly, strong, ancient kind of kid who could just knock them silly and led by fear.

But, she escaped that, thanks to the police, a banker, and a Jewish Rabbi who took pity on her.

Her head snapped around as a mechanical roaring happened on the street, an air car with a flatbed popped down. She aimed down the Valkyrie and stepped out into the cool air, staying low, keeping out of site. About thirty men fanned out wearing black suits, and carrying Revenants, Harriers, and even a few Lancers. After they had fanned out the side door opened and Nathan stepped out closing it behind them, the headlights obscuring all of their features.

"Oh Shepard!"

She tensed up and hissed.

"I know you're here Shepard! And I know why you came! I read your file, I know your personality, and it's all there, your flare for the dramatic. For picking an obvious battle ground, somewhere where you would know I would find you." Nathan explained.

"Nice trick with the spheres by the way," Nathan continued, "Soren wasn't expecting you wouldn't be able to do that, of course, we should've known better."

She continued to watch, and glanced over towards Garrus, she just saw the ripple of movement from his perch, and he was in a good position. She looked to see James too.

"But now, we've come to the end, and you are outnumbered, if I know you, surrender now Shepard, and I will make sure that my people save the _Normandy_ and I promise you a fair trial."

She placed the Valkyrie into a guard position across her chest, snuck back into the apartment, and placed herself on her Omni-tool.

"Me? Surrender to you?" Her voice boomed and reverberated down the concrete walls. "Your world is falling, your ideology, the things you have stood for and protected. People are rioting, they are tired of being manipulated, it is your days that are numbered."

"Well then let's have it out then Shepard, to the death."

"Don't be so dramatic." She said crawling up to the window and aimed back down her Valkyrie targeting one of his guards.

They began advancing and scanning the roofs and their surroundings with their weapons. Abby opened fire sending two bullets down the realm and slamming directly into the neck of the guard, one burst through his shields and the other through his flesh. He toppled over. Garrus from the one side and James from the other engaged with automatic weapons fire, the enemy scattered, but they were well in the ambush of the squad.

A grenade went off behind her as one of the troopers had a Falcon; he fired off two more rounds hitting them into the balconies around her. She responded by putting three bursts into his chest knocking him down.

Somewhere to the side Nathan rushed up and charged into the balcony behind the ambush, and scrambled up the side, _can't worry about him now_, Abigail muttered concentrating on killing the people she could see.

Suddenly from both sides of the square engines roared and people descended down on wires from Kodiak shuttles onto the roof tops around the square. Another truck slammed through the back of the street and deposited troopers. The Kodiaks lifted off and the men they deposited began to head down through the roof access down to the lower floors.

Garrus began taking fire, his shields flared as the accelerate shards of metal plowed into him, he hunkered down, fired off a burst, and then went through the door securing the room behind him.

That was all Abigail had time to see as she was forced to retreat through the open door, waving her Valkyrie around, through the cramped apartment, and out into the even more cramped hallway beyond.

Over her she heard rushing boot steps and turned around on the spot, towards the end of the hallway there was a door which Shepard knew led to a stairwell winding all the way around to the upper levels of the building. She got around in a crouch, aimed down the Valkyrie, and waited.

The door burst open, the first guard rushed through, and she instinctively toggled him in her sights, and fired. The Valkyrie roared, long flame flashing in the almost pitch darkness to spite all the foes. He fired a burst from his weapon, but still fell to the side, and died.

She instantly rebounded and put two grenades into the door way beyond, causing two giant explosions, and screams to meet her ears.

She smiled to herself and then retreated, making sure to cover the door before diving out back into the rain and out onto the service path connecting and sprawling along the apartment building.

The rain was now rushing down instantly coating her and drenching her hair, she glared out into the night as lightning flashed and she could hear the sounds of battle. The rain was dampening everything, but strangely sharpening it. _I just hope my technology still works when this is all over_ she grunted continuing to clear through the perimeter.

Nathan's blade flashed out from the darkness, swinging for Abby's mid section. She responded by flinching back and flaying her arms out. Nathan rushed through trying to skewer her; she dodged deftly to the side and swung her elbows up knocking into his nose and driving him back. He countered by kicking her in the stomach and pushing her off back onto another section of the balcony.

Nathan smirked, "you may have won the day, but you won't live to see your ideology become supreme!" he dove after her.

She leapt up and scrambled up the ladder, "Which is a real shame, considering that is not what I want!"

He charged up at her and knocked her into the railing causing her back to slightly flinch and ache, she swung her Valkyrie around parrying his next slash, which he took the opportunity to counter and spin around slashing for her head from her high left.

Shepard flipped over the side and onto another balcony.

She glared up at him and he wrenched around to join her, but the Balcony he was on exploded in shrapnel and flame. Shepard wrenched around drawing her Eagle and putting into her two handed hold, glaring at it, James aiming up with a Falcon. He fired again and another gout of flame cut Nathan off from her.

"Thanks." She said coming up to join him.

"Sure, don't mention it." James shrugged.

She smirked and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He blushed, "In the middle of a battle?"

"Sometimes the best time." She winked.

"Right," He muttered to her, "Somehow I doubt that is the last we are going to see of Nathan and his merry band."

"No, me to."

Her Omni whirred at her. "Abby, we are being pushed back here, we need help!" Cameron yelled.

Abigail sighed, "What is your situation Cameron?"

Cameron responded stained with static. "Taking heavy fire, heavy mechs, tanks. We could really use the help."

Abigail shot a look at James.

"I'm on it." He said tearing back off in the other direction.

She smiled, "Help is on the way Cameron." _Now to find Garrus_.

_Normandy-Bridge_

Ashley Williams was slammed into the side of the ship as Joker had nearly completed another maneuver. She felt her head, and blood coated her hand, she grimaced dramatically trying to regain her concentration. Everything seemed blurry and distant, but she was snapped back to reality by the twirling star scape just outside the main viewer.

"We've been hit." Joker said grimly, "left side support pylon number 2 engine. We're hit and out of control, Earth's gravity is pulling us in, trying to reroute!"

"Well that explains the spinning." Ashley remarked grimly.

"Yeah, they picked the perfect moment to strike us." Joker replied, "Hull stress is increasing beyond the red line. I don't know if we'll even survive descent."

"No witty come back for our situation Joker?" Ashley asked, the retort sounding hollow and on edge even to her.

"Well I'm sure our impact will set off enough fireworks to make one hell of a display…" the pilot grinned, "or not."

Ashley glanced at him as the pilot's console lit up and made several tones at him, his fingers raced along the display panels and he knocked the ship into a radical engine splitting climb, slowing the _Normandy's_ descent rapidly.

"We've got power!" He whooped. "Thank you engineering!"

"_Don't mention it." _Adams's voice drifted over the com in answer, _"it's our butts on the line too…though could you maybe finish this fight soon? We're red lining down here as well." _

"We'll do our best chief."

As she spoke Joker had virtually eliminated the _Normandy's_ roll and flipped the ship around, away from Earth, flinging them star ward. The _Market Garden_ quickly responded with a full blast from its forward CIWS weapons systems, splashing the _Normandy's_ armor lapped up the energy. Then they responded with their own blasts, scouring the enemy's hull. The two ships passed each other with barely a kilometer to spare.

_Los Angeles-Tenth Street_

Abigail Shepard dove from a burst of weapons fire which whooshed over her head. She found a piece of rubble, a grenade crater, and put several Valkyrie bullets into the advancing Alliance forces. They crumped before her; she cinched her weapon and continued on.

"_Shepard!"_ Garrus's voice roared in her earphone. _"Being overrun…can't hold out…."_ Stuttering of weapons fire broke out over the line.

_Hold on Garrus_.

"_Lola!"_ James's voice spat, _"Can't get to Cameron, forces in the way, taking fire, and I'm hit, used up the last of my medi gel." _

Abigail dove into cover but otherwise froze. Two of her friends. At the opposite ends of the battlefield from her, and she probably couldn't go back from either one. _My best friend, or my husband, the person I am closest to and can get to easily, or the man who is dying and is surrounded by enemies._

A bullet pinged off the concrete and she spun into action returning fire at her assailant who dared interrupt her in what she was doing, in her decision.

_What am I going to do?_ She sighed, _nothing is easy, not going to be giving a break, just like Kaidan and Ashley, same as Virmire…and I will probably make the same choice, the logical choice_. "I'm sorry James…"She whispered, gripping her weapon, and looking at Garrus's apartment.

"_Thank God there are two of you." _A voice spoke over the intercom next.

_Cameron!_

…

Cameron Shepard, hearing the reports over the intercom, immediately searched the battlefield, for James, since he was intercepted.

He toggle James, saw someone swinging up an Omni-knife to impale him, and leapt into a Charge. In mid swing he slammed into the Alliance guard and knocked him into the opposite wall, his Revenant swung up and he fired a quick burst, killing him with five bullets to the chest.

The Vanguard turned and offered James a hand.

"Thanks," The young soldier grunted taking it and getting shakily to his feet, "If you hadn't."

"Hey," Cameron cut him off, "don't mention it, you need medi-gel." He made the application himself using the technology to heal his comrade in arms.

"Alright, that's more like it." James nodded. "Come on, together."

He leapt over through the window and Cameron grinned swinging through the door and bringing his Revenant up. He charged back close to his position and finished off his opponent with a biotically assisted fist to the chest. His Light Machine Gun roared out, cutting a swath out of the advancing money, figuring that they had an advantage they started charging, only to suddenly be out flanked.

Miranda's overload cut a swath out of the enemy, causing several of them to jerk from the electronic blast. Cynthia's Black Widow boomed in the night cutting one of the turret Captains in half.

This gave the squad the advantage and Cameron took it, aiming down his weapon, and advancing dramatically to clear out the end. _Then after this, we'll rendezvous with Abigail, she is back to being all alone out there_.

…

Abigail rushed down the hallway and saw Garrus collapsed against a door frame, favoring his arm, she head a crunch through the room next to her and turned to ace it, Valkyrie snapping into her shoulder, and facing a wall.

She smirked as the crunching continued and the popping of a thermal clip. She fired, the Valkyrie stuttering in her arm, the weak plywood came apart before her barrage. And she heard a grunt followed by a thump. She moved to clear the room and saw that her target was dead; she smirked, and then moved to finish her ministrations of Garrus.

"Garrus!" She called out, going to him, instantly applying an application of medi gel.

"Hey Shepard," he sighed, "I'm getting too old for this."

"Nah Garrus," She smirked, "you're still in the prime of your life."

He snorted and coughed, "oh no, five galactic altering crisis is my limit. I could really go for tanning on a nice beach somewhere, or doing some climbing, yeah, that sounds nice."

She waited for him to get up, and frowned, "come on, parties over."

"Just five more minutes." The Turian whined.

"Come on Garrus," She offered him her hand and together they pulled him up. He picked up his Phaeston and muttered at her.

"Together." He said.

"Together." She agreed marching off.

_Normandy-Bridge_

Ashley grunted as Joker pulled the ship through yet another jarring turn to port he cut the thrusters this time and the enemy went shooting past them at high speed.

"Now!" She yelled into the intercom hoping her intended recipient would hear the message, and obey.

The Thanix canon raged to life almost instantly spewing its jet of light and metal into the stars, connecting the two ships, as if on a bridge. The _Market Garden's_ reactor took the first general shot, stuttered, flamed, and then over compensated as it started yawing hard to port, tumbling out of control.

Joker, following his own example, stayed on the enemy. Torpedoes and laser blasts harrying the _Market Garden_, making its mission harder, its repairs more difficult.

"How do you like that?!" Joker thumped his console and pumped his fists.

"Very good," Ashley complimented the soldier, "but could you please watch out for the planet surface?!"

The _Normandy_ began skimming the upper atmosphere of Earth, its hull rising in temperature quickly, Joker made an "oops" noise and put the _Normandy _on a heading away from the planet. Into the rapidly receding space battle.

_Los Angeles- Tenth Street_

Abigail Shepard rushed forward under a burst from Nathan's Locust Sub Machine Gun. Cameron rushed forward onto the right flanking Nathan and spraying him down. Nathan went into a tight roll to the right dodging the bullets in real time.

Shepard took her chance and charged in intersecting with his path with a shoulder shove to the stomach flaying him back. Nathan bounced up recovering into a pull, drawing his sword into a chop, intending to open Abby up vertically. She dove in front of him, and Cameron whirred into a charge, slamming into the bad guy above her, knocking Nathan back.

Nathan tried recovering, but Cameron flew up into a nova blast slamming him into a wall, but still he maneuvered, trying to get away, holding his sword up into a guard, limping.

Abigail approached swinging wide of Cameron, aiming down her Valkyrie, "Come on Nathan, it's over, our forces are wrapping yours up. You can't escape, you are beaten."

Nathan Burke grunted and used his sword bringing it up and around with a feral yell, a rage induced spat of fury as he charged in. She snapped up the Valkyrie and fire, the concussive shot ripping into his chest and slamming him against the very same wall which he was against, he slid down the wall.

"Come on Nathan, there has to be something of you in there, you are an old Alliance Officer, loyal to the cause, and this cannot be you."

"And how do you know?" Nathan hissed. "They showed me, we need order to survive, strong leaders, and guiding humanity, rebuilding it, providing for it, only then can we use the golden age."

"At what cost? Our liberties? Our minds? The ability to choose what we are going to do with our lives?"

Instead of answering he flung his arm out showing his hand blaster, Abigail's eyes widened and she was slammed to the side by Cameron, knocking her out of the way and taking the 'bullet', his shields were stronger.

On the ground she arched up to Nathan, he was bringing his hand around, she cursed and fired the Valkyrie, four bursts, all landing in a perfect cluster across his chest and armor, his body flinched back crumpling into the wall, and a blood stream began leaking off of him down the street.

Abigail cursed, got up of the ground, and winced as her ribs felt like they were giving out. She covered Nathan, expecting any surprises, as Cameron moved in on her left.

"Damn it." She cursed lowering her Valkyrie and approaching the fallen N7, Cameron still covering her. _He looks dead_.

She got down into a crouch, studying the man, his closed eyes, his frozen features. She reached out for him, and before her arm could quite reach for his, he gasped, his eyes looking around, and she leapt back.

His gaze found her, and he looked both confused, and enlightened. "Shepard?" He asked.

"Yeah…Nathan?" She asked, having no fear with Cameron, and now James, watching her.

He glanced down at his chest, and noticed the very distinct Valkyrie like holes in it. "You shot me." He said.

"Yeah," Her eyes narrowed, "you were kinda out of control."

His head snapped back snapping against the wall, his eyes darting about his skull, looking around, he looked as if he were trying to remember something. "I remember." He stated.

"What?" Abigail asked.

"Everything." He choked, his eyes watering. "The war, my corruption, how they used me, my body….Amanda." His eyes turned towards her again.

"She's dead." Abigail stated simply.

"I know." Nathan shuddered, and then started spluttering. "I think I'm about to join her."

Abigail frowned, "don't say that, I have an application of medi-gel."

Nathan shook his head, "No, too late for that, Leviathan fail safe…same thing my sword is made of…you just got me." He smiled at her. "But I die free. Just promise me something Shepard."

"Anything."

"Just make sure you get them." He coughed, blood dribbling on his chin, he smiled, grunted, and his eyes grew distant.

She closed them with her hands.

Then stood up, going to join James and Cameron. "We will." She said to the corpse, holding a moment of silence. "Come on, we aren't finished yet."

_So where's Soren?_


	37. Chapter 37

_Austria_

Abigail Shepard hung onto the railing of the Kodiak as it moved through the mountains they were in. They were doing this in lieu of actually making a direct approach, Cameron, James, and Garrus was hanging on behind her.

EDI had managed to hack into the local data nets and was able to pin Soren's position down to one specific building, where he was running the operation from, or where he was hiding. Namely one Hitler's Eagle Nest. _The man certainly has the flair for the dramatic_, Abby thought watching the rolling hills below her.

"You sure you don't want me to come?" Cameron said.

Shepard shook her head, "No, I don't. I have to do this alone. Besides, there are reports of sphere stations in the vicinity and Alliance guards still resisting. We need to take those out first before the Leviathan's mount a counter attack."

"Yeah," James came forward nodding, "but alone Lola?"

She shrugged, "yeah, I have to try and neutralize this threat, one way or another, and with our forces scattered right now you can go neutralize the spheres…I'm going to try talking Soren down. Maybe I will have to kill him; maybe I can get him to surrender. But either way, I am not expecting he is going to have a lot of guards. He's come here for drama and irony, to hide, not to make a last stand."

"Still dangerous Lola," James pointed out, "What if you're wrong?"

She smiled, "then I am the biggest bad ass in the history of bad asses." James frowned, "I'll know where you are and will keep my Omni primed…ok?"

"Better," James agreed.

"Heads up, ETA to target Alpha one minute." Cortez reported over the radio.

Abigail nodded unfurling her Valkyrie assault rifle off her back and equipping the proper ammo mods to it. She waited as the Kodiak suddenly began shredding speed, diving low for the mountains, up one hill, and over powering to hover over the Eagle's nest.

Shepard tucked her feet up from under her and leapt like a startled cat onto the concrete below, bending her knees to absorb the impact. She turned around and held her hand to her ear. "OK Cortez, I'm down, I'm safe, bug on out."

"_Good luck Captain."_ Cortez said.

"Roger that." Abby smiled as the Kodiak stuttered off.

She turned to the walled fortress and headed in, blasting two auto turrets with her Valkyrie as she went. Checking every corner and making sure her Valkyrie was primed. Her footsteps echoing off the ground reverberating down the corridor as she entered the facility proper.

_No other threats_, she realized with a smile, _it is nice to be right every once in a while_.

So she relaxed for a minute going through the building, heading boldly towards the center. She got there finally and opened the door; the central room was set up with foldable tables along the center and a series of computer and computer banks on it. Soren looked up, gawked at her entrance, and then smiled as he realized who it was.

"So, you were able to track me down. I'm impressed." Soren stated.

"Well did you really expect to be able to hide out here?" She countered.

"It…was a long shot," he blinked, "but it's not that bad of a retirement either. Lose, and just…disappear. I have had this place stocked with food and other basic amenities. I could live quite a while here."

"What is it about despicable tyrants and wanting to just disappear alone?" She shot.

"It's a life style." Soren countered. "So now what? You going to try and convince me the error of my ways? Show me where I was wrong and evil and abused my power? Bring me in? I somehow do not think that is your style Shepard."

"You don't know me that well obviously." Shepard spat.

His eyes twinkled, "On the contrary…or should I say which version of you? The one who led your entire squad through a meat grinder and sacrificed them for your petty ambitions, or are you the woman who is a peacemaker and does not care how you neutralize an enemy as long as they are dealt with?"

"People can change, they can grow, evolve, and always redeem, if they are given a chance." Abigail returned.

"Not in my experience," Soren mused, "but I suppose it is all pointless now. I won't come in with you."

"Well then we have reached an impasse." Shepard grunted.

"I suppose we have," Soren muttered turning back to the window.

"So when did the Leviathans get to you? How did they indoctrinate you? I mean, if you think you can tell me oh master of the Alliance. You are a secure politician who has never ventured forth in Alliance space before, not once, and yet here we are."

Soren turned back to her quizzically. "It really is that simple to you isn't it?"

"I beg your pardon?" She asked.

"Me, indoctrination, you, you always believe that anyone who is opposing you has to be indoctrinated, led against you, and is not of their right minds. It never occurs to you that anyone who will want to stand against the great Abigail Shepard actually wants to be."

"Well there was the Council…" She pointed out.

"They were hardly against you more or less just corrupt and your ideological opponents. Same with the mercenaries, they opposed your objectives, not exactly your ideology." Soren explained. "In fact that is the reason why I have been hanging around Archturus so much, to ensure that I wouldn't succumb."

"So you weren't indoctrinated? You did this all on your own?" Abigail felt her eyes narrow incredulously.

"Indeed, you don't believe me?" Soren smirked.

"I find it a bit hard, yes." Shepard replied.

"Well, look into my eyes, hear my speech, I am confident, clear, and I am not uncertain about my positione."

She peered at him, _well looking into someone's eyes may not be the most accurate form of indoctrination detection, but it might work_. And she saw, he was indeed alert, focused, following her as she gazed at him. He was not evasive, no blank thousand yard stares, only a smirk which was getting ever larger the longer she lingered.

"Alright, you aren't indoctrinated, that much seems clear." She finally admitted.

He smirked triumphantly at her and grinned down.

"So then what, why'd you do this? Why did you join with the Leviathans? Why did you make a pact with them to control Alliance citizens allowing you to start a campaign against the Galaxy?"

"For safety." Soren replied bluntly.

"For safety?!" She raged. "You started a Galactic War, launched a coup attempt, attempted to assassinate the former Prime Minister. Not to mention the sex camps, the work camps, building ships around the planet."

"It was for the greater good." Soren replied.

"Don't give me that."

He smiled again, and twirled around in place, making her wonder again for a split second if he really _was_ indoctrinated. But she rejected it.

"Simply put," Soren finally stated, "the Reapers created a new order. They were tearing down the old will of the Galaxy. Thousands of years of history, of corruption, deceit, lies. That bunk about them purging the Galaxy before synthetics could wipe out organics, or vice versa, _was_ bunk. I imagine that was a part of their motivations-"

"Get to the point." She snapped.

He was taken aback, "The point is…you beat them. You gave us a chance. The first time in millions of years organics and synthetics were left to our own devices to build a new world. We dodged a cosmic bullet, proving we were worthy for the perfection of our societies. The Reapers had killed, yes, but they gave us a chance to rebuild. And instead of rebuilding a bold new world we attempted to build a pale shadow of the one we left. Individual people left to their devices to be corrupt. We went as far as actually rebuilding this world. So someone had to tear it down again."

"And the Leviathans gave you the opportunity?" Abigail shuddered.

"Yes, they can bend the will of organic minds, exactly like the Reapers. And with that control there was an opportunity. Someone has to exercise control, they needed someone to work with, and I had the courage to see that is what was required. To have strong, enlighetened individuals leading, guiding, humanity and the other races to their ultimate destiny."

"At what cost!?" She yelled, spittle flying from her mouth. "Our minds, our freedoms, our very souls? To lose the very things that make us human, that make us organic? Do you really believe that is worth the sacrifice?"

"And what has humanity and the other races done with their liberties?" Soren asked then answered his question. "Murder, death, cosmic wars breaking out decades? Corrupt businesses and political deals? Gouging themselves on environments of a thousand worlds? Of refusing to offer the most simple amenities but for a profit? Is this the freedom that you hold so dear Abigail Shepard? Is this really what you want?"

"It's better than the alternative, of being ruled, and led, and unable to do things with our lives as we see fit."

"How deliciously quaint." He dismissed turning back to his window.

"But it's worse than that." Abby hissed, barely audible.

"And what is worse than taking away all those small and petty things that you want?" He said in a sing song voice.

"You are taking away people's right to fail." Abigail said simply.

Soren had no response to that, his shoulders slumped, and he continued his eagle like gaze out the front window. Abigail stared after him, waiting, wanting to know if he had heard her, if she had convinced him, and what would it be.

"And what is so important about the right to fail? And why not accept control as an answer? After all you are military; you lead by absolute control and discipline the people under you. And I've read your file, I know that the Alliance saved you, gave you a home, succeeded where you could not, and rescued you from your failures." Soren finally stated.

"No, it was a private citizen who saved me. Who interceded on my behalf, who told the judge that he would look after me, and I wouldn't end up in prison. The judge agreed, and he took care of me, despite what I did to his best friend."

"And then you joined the military, the military gave you a home, a purpose." Soren grunted.

"But it wasn't enough; I was not ready for it. The responsibility, the combat, I thought I was. But I failed. On Torfan I nearly sent my squad through a meat grinder and I did terrible things. But I learned, _I_ learned. The Alliance was ready to forgive me and wipe the whole thing under the rug, but because of Anderson I learned and I grew."

"Anderson who was an Alliance Officer."

"Who was a individual who helped me through a tough time…you just don't get it."

"Well then enlighten me." Soren snapped.

"You can't be forced into being a good person, you can't be changed into a good person, no Government and no force of God has that power. Only you can, with the help of people, but only if you want it." Shepard continued.

"And then meanwhile everyone dies and suffers and loses." He teased.

"Life is suffering," Abby said simply, "and you don't have the power to make it any different."

Soren frowned, "I can't convince you can I? You will just go on believing what you believe, and meanwhile the universe has to suffer since Abigail Shepard can't stomach the fact that she might be wrong."

"That's not it at all," She said through gritted teeth.

"No, of course not."

Before they could go any longer Soren whipped out a weapon, Abigail got out into a crouch and reached for her pistol but she wasn't fast enough. Soren had already placed the gun against his cheek and pulled the trigger, blood and brain matter exploding with a slight greasy film. Abby blinked, staring at the scene, mystified. Finally she got up out of her crouch and moved over to him.

_Damn, do all the evil tyrants really have to commit suicide all the time?_ She groused shaking her head.

But there was still work to do, the computer terminals were active and streaming data. Shepard stared at the numbers and symbols on the screen. _Encrypted data files, joys_.

She touched her hand to her ear activating her com link, "EDI, get down here, we have work to do."

"_On the way Shepard."_

_Hamburg_

Cameron Shepard dove for a piece of cover, a low wall in the middle of an open room, as a burst of weapons fire almost cut his head off, or would've if his shields were down but either way he did not want to test the theory over much.

James stutter fired from the Harrier, boldly marching up and collapsing in the frame of the door next to him. "I think they've caught onto what we are doing!" James yelled.

"Took them long enough," Cameron muttered firing a stutter burst from the Revenant and proceeding to drive the enemy back, "after we've destroyed three of these stations and what our forces have been doing globally."

"Maybe they finally got the forces up to stop us, we know our counter measures were at least partially effective." James tossed a frag grenade, Cameron's eyes widened, and the orb exploded with a mind numbing _crash_

"Damn it James, I don't want any of these people killed, I told you!" He yelled out.

"Hey, right now it's us or them, we kill them, and we can take out the sphere and make sure no one else has to die."

"James, that's your wife talking." Cameron muttered, sensing movement he rose and launched a shockwave blast that split the room and launched one of the guards into the air.

"Hey, when she's right she's right." James responded.

"I'm not killing anyone off," Cameron added the note of authority to his voice, "Not when we're so close."

"Fine." James grunted, "But if they rush, I will do whatever it takes to keep the mission and us alive."

_Fair enough_, Cameron thought not wanting to encourage him, _I know he is right on the one hand but there has to be another way, ah the trials of command, do the job, kill anyone who gets in your way…and not that Abby is like that but that is a very dark road._

He popped up and fired another blast from his Revenant in front of the feet of one of the guards, his leg took a hit and he crumpled down, it burned slightly.

James took that as his cue, he dove, lying flat out he fired the Harrier and the Harrier spread pierced a gas canister. A hissing bloom of smoke cut off the guards from the squad, and the view they had of each other, Cameron fired into the mess emptying his thermal clip, suggesting that they stay in cover.

James rolled to the side, and fired, his bullets striking the sphere and causing it to explode.

One of the guards that Cameron could see spasmed, freezing in mid step, his arms flinging to his side, a stricken expression crossing his face, and he keeled over.

"Nice shooting James," The former Spectre remarked heading over for the guard, he checked his pulse, and it was still there. "He is still alive."

James nodded, "And thanks."

"_EDI, get down here, we have work to do."_ Shepard's voice broke out over the intercom.

Cameron spun to see James going for his Omni-tool, "What's up Lola?"

"_Soren is dead," _There was a pause over the nets, _"killed him right in front of me. But he has banks of computers here, and there might be information here, EDI can help us get to it_."

"Right, Lola, good luck with that."

She chuckled at him over the com, _"Shepard out"_

"Well, that was fun." James turned to Cameron.

He shrugged, "next?"

"Totally."

_The Eagle's Nest_

Shepard paced around the room as EDI hacked into the database, her eyes weren't closed, but she was staring off into space, her pupils had scrawls of data in it.

"What's taking so long?" Shepard snapped.

"This data stream is protected by thirty firewalls and eight cycling bits of encryption. It will take a few more moments to-ah I have access."

"Great, hit me with it." Abigail came next to the AI and leaned over the oak table looking at the computer screen.

The data still did not make sense to _her_, and then the screen turned off. She snapped her head around to EDI. "What's happening?"

When the AI responded Abby waved a hand in front of her face, "EDI?"

His eyes flickered, "Shepard, we may have a problem."

By way of response Abby wiggled her right eyebrow at her.

"There is a Leviathan here; it is in the Hawaiian Islands, by them anyways."

Abigail felt the color in her face _such as it was_, drain itself as the revelation sunk in. _Would certainly explain a lot…maybe_. "Wonderful." She finally verbalized.

"I assume we will have to go deal with it?"

Shepard felt her hand smack up into her head.

"That was a joke."


	38. Chapter 38

_Kodiak Shuttle_

Abigail sat in the cargo compartment of the Kodiak shuttle as it rushed barely fifty feet above the Pacific Ocean, cradling the Cain in her lap as they went. Her eyes were closed as she was trying to get a few minutes precious sleep.

"You sure about this Lola?" James asked from his seat turning to her.

Her eyes blinked open; she sighed, and turned to face her husband. "No, not exactly. But I'm not sure I want to risk an entire squad down there."

"And what would the risk be?" Cameron joined in. "And what would be the risk that could be faced better by three people then by one?"

Abigail shrugged, "mind control, they could flood us, kill us in all sorts of ways."

"And, you don't want the assist?" James pressed.

She smiled, "Yeah, that is what you are here for, _backup, _in case I need you."

"Right." James nodded. "You have a death wish or something?"

"Just a wish to get the job done James." Abigail smiled wistfully at him. "After all I have experience with the whole mind control thing, you do not."

They held their gaze for a few moments, James bit his lip, Abby felt like sighing at the unfairness of the universe. _I almost wish he didn't love me that much, would make a lot of this much easier_. But he did, and she loved him. It was tough being a member of a military family, to have both sides united in their desire to serve a greater good. And knowing that the dangerous situations she was putting herself in would probably be putting her child in danger.

But she had to do it in a way, if only to keep James and everyone else safe from harm, if only because she had gone through this before. Her mind had been bent spindled and mutilated _at least_ once, and Abby hoped that gave her a sort of immunity from it happening again. Not to mention she was more confident in herself and her place in the universe then she ever had been before, Harbinger's attempt at Indoctrination had let her come to terms with a lot of what she had done in her personal struggle with the Reapers, and put a lot of her demons to rest.

_Of course this banks on the fact that Reaper and Leviathan Indoctrination is just similar enough…though I was able to resist them the first time_.

"I'll be fine James," She assured him once more by laying a hand on his arm. He brought up a confident smile in response, _probably just faking_.

"Heads up," Cortez spoke, spoiling the moment, from the cock pit.

Abigail moved to join him at the heart of the Kodiak's operations, "What've we got?"

"As the databases indicated, there is a structure down there, and a massive life form reading. Other than that…nothing but ocean."

"Right." Abby sighed, _very original Steven_. "Wonder if they have the same countermeasures they did in the Leviathan planet?"

"No indication of that," Cortez spoke, "but just in case…hang on!"

Cortez dove the Kodiak, accelerating with all due thrusters, pushing the boundaries of the Kodiak's design and rolling it into the water. The shuttle crashed, Abby grabbed for the safety harness at the last moment as the Kodiak, the sudden forward momentum colliding with the choppy sea, strained even the inertia dampers at full power.

The console beeped at the pilot, Abby and he shot it a look, and Cortez locked down the problem with a deft jab at the controls. After about ten seconds the ride stabilized and the Kodiak motored through the ocean, making about thirty knots, passing a few scattered schools of fish and other aquatic life on the way down.

But just as quickly as they appeared, the vanished, the Kodiak was virtually all alone in the blackness of the ocean. No sun, no light, could penetrate this far down.

_Alright that is probably my cue_, Shepard thought crawling back into the cargo area. She flipped open one of the compartments and then got out the thick wet suit she was using to get the rest of the way. She hitched the Cain onto its back as she finished pulling on the pressure suit and the other accoutrements.

"Good luck," James said once more.

Abby nodded, and blew a kiss through the face plate, before turning for the edge of the door.

James and Cameron moved to the cockpit section of the shuttle as Cortez sealed it off from the inside, she was now all alone. Shepard took a couple of deep breaths as the pressure on the inside slowly equalized, and Cortez popped the door open.

She floated out of the Kodiak getting her bearings, not wanting to start anything until she was sure she was clear. Finally she kicked in the suits thruster suite and shot downward at a rapidly accelerating rate. It took her mere moments to get down to the bottom, the facility rising up out of the rocks and the peaks of the ocean floor. She circled it for a second, studying it with her eyes, not seeing the Leviathan or any other creatures around her, _that's disturbing_. But she had no other choice, and with her reconnaissance complete, she maneuvered downward, leveling out at a metal impression cut out of the ocean floor before a door.

Her legs caught the platform and it reacted to her presence, even though her suit was secure tightly to her, her skin still prickled and tingled. A shield instantly sprang up around her, purging the platform of water, and driving it back, connecting it to the building. She sighed, and marched right in, the door opening before her advance.

Pressing a button on her arm she activated her Omni-tool and scanned the surrounding environment._ 'Air, pressure, no discernible toxins, nothing obviously concerning.'_ She nodded determined, and flipped off her helmet, simultaneously pulling it off with a very loud _hiss_.

She held it for a second, her eyes wide, and took a tentative breath. The air was crisp clean, _pure_. It was quite nice in all honesty.

The hallway she was in was open to the outside ocean above her, through obviously thick glass panes; she could look up into what looked like the endless night, only making out air bubbles as they burst skyward. She watched them go for a second before stowing the rest of her gear, it was a risk, but it allowed her to move freely.

Shepard started walking, not running, keeping the Cain in her hand as she carefully maneuvered down the hall. Not wanting to start a trap or destroy the wall she was currently walking by.

Suddenly the path opened up into an observation dome of sorts. There was a light at the end of it which painted the ocean in bright colors, _that was not there when I was coming down_, but the light, was showing, a Leviathan.

Abigail's heart leapt up into her throat at the site of it sitting there, floating, painted in a deeper, darker, black then the surrounding ocean even with the light. It was massive, as usual, distinct, looking like a large moving piece of coral reef, its tentacles flexing lightly in the current.

She stood there with a few moments, _I think it's asleep_, she thought breathing a sigh of relief. She reached into her equipment harness and began getting the explosive out and placing them to the wall. Even better Abigail realized the thing was in a glass dome of its own, and the slightest change of air pressure would probably doom it.

"_You are not Soren." _The voice boomed in her head.

_You get a cookie_.

Abigail Shepard flinched as she felt the Leviathan forcibly enter her mind, tearing into it with ease and gusto, her head blanked out from the pain and she blinked. Suddenly she was in the same black water she was in on her last meeting with the Leviathan.

"_You are Shepard."_

She turned around to face the voice and saw the blank stare of James Vega looking back at her.

"Well, at least that is new." Abigail stated looking at the spectral form.

"_We learn, we grow, we adapt. Searching your minds, this one is important to you…as is…this one" _The Leviathan disappeared only to reappear on the other side, now looking like Miranda. _"And this one." _Now it looked like Ashley.

"This slide show is supposed to what…impress me?" Abigail shrugged.

"_You are weak, individually you are weak. Your Species is weak. They can be taken from you with but thoughts. On one of our whims." _Miranda-Leviathan explained.

"You know for all of your 'we can wipe you out on a thought' things you certainly haven't been able to wipe us out yet." Abby challenged.

The Leviathan figure disappeared again; Abigail looked around, and then heard a hiss off to her side. Suddenly Kaidan was standing there.

She flashed back to the real world and felt her nose bleeding again before she once more flashed to the Kaidan figure.

"_He was wiped out, with a thought, a single thought, yours and Saren's, condemned him to death." _Kaidan-Leviathan spoke out.

"You really expect that to work?"

"_A thought can take many shapes," _Mordin, _"it can lead to many things," Legion, "Our thoughts shape the universe around us." _Thane.

"Then why wait? Why not wipe us out?" She choked on her smile, "I mean after all you are clearly so superior to us."

"_We do not wish to destroy, only to control. To guide and nurture, to assume our position after the Reapers tore it from us, and you stole it from the Reapers. But you cannot wield that power; humans do not have the breadth, the infinite faculties to control the fate of the Galaxy. We, who have been around for billions of years, do." _

"Has age really given you the wisdom to do what you say? How can you be sure of your abilities when you were betrayed by your own creation? When your 'thoughts' clearly do not give you the control you think they do over us and the Reapers before us?" Abigail asked.

And she was plunged into darkness, deeper darkness, a throbbing beating sound droned into the ears, causing her to wince and shake her head looking down. Childlike laughing met her ears; she looked around, scrambled, peering into the darkness. Suddenly more people started running by, shadows, Kaidan, Thane, Mordin. She shook her head, trying to follow each specter.

"I am past this! I have made peace with it!" She raged into the night.

"_Then why does it mark your memories, why do you seem absorbed with it." _The Leviathan challenged, once again looking like Kaidan.

"Because it keeps them alive, it keeps me alive. It is the only way to make their deaths have meaning. To honor them, it does not control me, but to forget, I forget how and why they died. It is something us lowly beings need to do, to find meaning."

The Leviathan was silent and she was once again doused in the pitch darkness. She spun around, sloshing the watering around, but with no sound, she was entirely alone. Into Darkness.

She felt arms go around her waist from behind, and something tickled at her hair, whispering in her ear _"why do you resist us Shepard?" _

She spun around and was face to face, chest to chest, with a specter of Miranda Lawson.

"Really, now this is all you've got?" She hissed arching an eyebrow.

Miranda-Leviathan swayed back, Abigail rolled her eyes, _and "Organic species have many feelings that can be exploited."_

"I think you are barking up the wrong tree." Abigail felt her eyebrow arch again into her hairline.

Miranda-Leviathan smirked at her wryly arching a playful eyebrow.

Abigail huffed enraged and got up into the specter's face, "you know you are even more desperate then I thought, no wonder the Reapers kicked your ass."

"_We were betrayed, by our intelligence, it struck without-" _

"Yeah, yeah, it struck without warning. _Your_ intelligence, your tool, your thing you used to try and understand synthetics, you built a synthetic. To control it, to continue to control the Organics you ruled, to try and fight fire with fire, but then why did your charges build their own synthetics in the first place?"

The Catalyst took on Anne Bryson's form, _"Yes, we know. The organic species that gave us tribute built machines to help them solve their problems. To do work. To-"_

"To protect themselves from you." Abigail countered.

The Ann-Leviathan threaded its eyebrows at her in thought, its eyes narrowed, it mouth peeled downward.

"Think about it, they created something. Something you did not understand, something you could not anticipate, and can't control even to this day. They created this because they feared you, because you were in their heads and in their minds and in their homes. You could manipulate them and make them give you tribute, but you could not control them, not all the way, in fact you were fine with them having just a little bit of freedom."

"_The races were young, weak, small, they needed guidance, they needed for us to control them and determine their destinies. We wanted to protect them; we wanted them to reach their full potential." _

"And did you ever ask them if they liked that? If they wanted it? People need to be left alone, and we do not want to be controlled under any circumstances."

Ann Leviathan was replaced by a Leviathan shade that looked like Soren.

"_Your history is a contradiction to this statement. It is a history of blood, of Governments rising up to conquer the masses and control the populations. Killing their fellows based on differences of race and ideology, imposing their will whether they wanted to or not. This is a contradiction, this is a weakness, our guidance did not result in holocausts, and we ensured the peaceful preservation of our charges. Your race could have used our guidance." _

"You are missing the point," She held her hands up in frustration, "you miss the point. You are judging us by the actions of our _species_, and while we have collectively made mistakes at every turn we have had people resisting them, growing learning, without control. We did not need you."

The Leviathan smiled cockily at her.

Abigail headed its obvious retort off at the pass, "and just what did you do? If I was to judge you by the standards you would judge us then you would have made terrible guardians. Most of the races you were 'protecting' died off, through suicide, and your tools rebelled against you."

"_There need to be guardians, the powerful leading the weak, the wise, the stupid, this is our people learn, how life evolves." _

"No, its how it stagnates." Abby chopped her head dramatically. "You controlled organic species, so they built tools that you could not control, but then imposed restrictions and tried to control their genius, their tools rebelled against them and wiped them out, you did not understand so you modeled their behavior and created your tools and controlled it to the point it rebelled and deemed you were a threat."

"_That is not what happened, we did not understand…" _

"You did not understand, now do you think you can now? Do you really believe that you could not make the same mistake, let go, stop this now."

"_The Cycle must continue, the younger races must be controlled, for their own good, to prevent the return of the Machines, and the ceasing of tribute." _

"And who elected you God?" She snapped.

"_Power is not elected. If you will not submit to us but you will die." _

"Then I chose death, rather than to live a slave." The Valkyrie stated simply backing off.

"_So be it."_ The Leviathan spat at her walking away.

She switched back to real life and she could feel her head start to vibrate, her entire body was shaking apart at the seams, her head feeling like it was being jabbed with a million sharp painful earth quake sticks. She collapsed, but scrambled to her feet, her finger flexing dramatically.

Now she was back in the Leviathan reality, James was holding her by her throat, choking the life out of her, she coughed and spluttered.

"_You will die, alone, and without meaning." _

Instead she brought up a smile, and taunted the Leviathan, "Just remember, you did this."

"_What?"_

She flipped back to reality and had just enough strength to bring up the Cain, her finger squeezing and pulling down on the trigger, holding it in place. She swung it around and pointed it far at the window of the dome above her.

The weapon fired, lurching in her hand, nearly taking her out and nearly detaching her arm from the shoulder. The shell raced up into the sky and exploded against the dome's wall, water breached and crashed in through the hole rapidly changing the pressure of both the inside and where the Leviathan was. The blast set other explosives off driving shards of metal into the Leviathan. The Leviathan was sucked in and _thumped_ dramatically against the piece of the wall that was still intact, crashing and making it collapse, spikes of glass driving up into its sides.

The chamber rapidly filled with water, crashing into Abby slamming her into the back wall, the empty husk of the Cain spilling from her hands.

The door secured itself with the breach in the dome, the dome which was now filling with water. The Spectre groaned as she felt whoozy. She banged twice on the door, more out of frustration then any expectation it would do anything. But this caused her to over balance and collapse into the frightfully cold water, her hair moving into it, drenching itself. Shepard scrambled to her feet, but crashed into the water, this time butt first, the chamber was filling up, nearly level to her waist now.

Abigail Shepard eyed the breach in the hull, it was just big enough where she might be able to get through by swimming but there was no way she would survive to the surface, she could already acutely feel her body temperature crashing. The heat being leached by the cold ocean that was swarming in.

She looked down at her stomach again and whimpered, she was not showing yet, but she knew what this meant. _I'm content to die, but…not like this…not with that extra life_. She cast another meaningful glance around the dome, but there was no way out. None that she could see.

Spluttering she tried to move again, the water suddenly sprung up to her chin as she wasn't watching, she scrambled around but could not find a firm footing, and ended up slipping, now the water was up to her mouth nearly, and she choked as the salt started burning into her mouth.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, she felt light headed and sloshed back in the water. _Well, I almost hate going, but freezing to death isn't so bad. Besides, at least I won't have to put up with the universe trying to kill me every six months…I can finally relax…one way or another_.

_I only wish I could have gone on life's next adventure_.

She felt her body relax and felt her mind let go of its pain, slowly falling into an almost blissful face. She could make out lights and faces at the edge of her perception, ghosts, people she loved and she hated, who missed her and would love to see her gone. She focused in on one of them.

_I love you James…_ her mind called out.

As she let go, going into darkness.

But she felt her body start to rise, to be sucked out, through the water, she was vaguely aware of it, wondering if this is what it felt like to let go of one's physical form. But that sounded, wrong, to her, she wasn't sure.

She had no ideas and no feeling anymore as she went deeper into unconsciousness losing all contact with the outside world.

…

Waking with a gasp, her eyes flung open wide and could feel water purging itself from her lungs, pouring off her body and her hair, covering the metallic floor with dampness, its own river. Her vision was blurry but she swore she could just see James backing up, heading for the edge of the Kodiak's cargo bay to give her space.

She blinked her eyes and ran an armored arm over her eyes. This allowed her to confirm her environment, her setting, the bright lights of the Kodiak, the display screens and statistics racing across them. Cameron and James were looking at her, concerned, closely, but giving her the space she needed to recover.

Abigail tried to speak, but instead started hacking, her knee came up dramatically and her head came down as she coughed and spluttered another wave of salty fluid that had gotten into her. The fit passed after a minute and Abby felt purged, felt like she could breathe fully again.

Once more she turned to Vega, "Thanks." She gasped.

"No problem Lola." Her husband replied nodding at her. "I've always got your back."

She nodded, and brought up a grateful smile reaching for his arm. He took hers and forced her up onto her unsteady feet. She looked at them both and nodded once more.

"Did we do it? Is it over?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah," Abby breathed, relieved, "for now."

…_._

"_The war is over, time to rebuild, time to learn. But the threat is still out there, and we must remain vigilant."_


End file.
